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9i  J:he 
of  IWfwfe 


HH  HHART  OF  AFRICA  threk 


YEARS  TRAVELS  AND  ADVENTURES 
IN  THE  UNEXPLORED  REGIONS  OE 
CENTRAL  AERICA  BY  DR  GEORG 
SCHWEINEURTH  IRANSLATED  BY  EL- 
LEN E  EREWER  WITH  AN  INTRODUC- 
TION BY  WINVv^OOD  READE 


WITH  MAPS  AND  WOODCUT  ILLUSTRA- 


TIONS FROM  DRAWINGS  BY  THE  AUTHOR 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES     +    +     VOI  UMH  (3NE 


NEW  YORK  PUBLISHED  BY  THE 
DRALi.ol'  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
166  SIXTH  AVENUE   MDCCCXCX  I 


INTRODUCTION. 

ABOVE  Assouan,  the  terminus  of  tourists  is  the  Nubian 
Desert,  a  yellow  arm  of  the  Sahara,  thrust  between  Central 
Africa  and  Egypt.  When  this  desert  is  crossed,  you  come 
to  the  ancient  Ethiopia,  which  consists  of  lowlands  watered 
by  the  Nile,  while  a  little  to  the  left  is  Abyssinia,  the 
Switzerland  of  Africa.  The  White  Nile,  which  comes  from 
the  Equator,  is  hereabouts  joined  by  the  Blue  Nile,  or 
Black  Nile,  from  the  Abyssinian  Wells;  and  near  their 
confluence  is  the  town,  Khartoom.  In  the  glorious  days  of 
the  Pharaohs  Ethiopia  was  colonised  by  Egypt,  and  there 
was  a  famous  city,  Meroe  by  name,  possessing  pyramids 
and  temples.  In  the  days  of  Egyptian  decline  Ethiopia 
became  independent,  conquered  the  mother  country  for  a 
time,  and  was  never  entered  by  the  armies  of  the  Persians. 
The  Ptolemies  who  afterwards  reigned  at  Alexandria  did 
conquer  Ethiopia,  even  to  its  Highlands,  carrying  their 
arms,  as  they  boasted,  where  the  Pharaohs  themselves  had 
never  been ;  but  the  Eomans  did  not  occupy  the  country ; 
they  followed  the  advice  of  Augustus,*  and  the  Nubian 
Desert  was  made  their  frontier. 

In  the  same  manner  the  Arabs  under  the  caliphs  did  not 
attempt  the  conquest  of  Ethiopia,  and  it  was  perhaps  owing  to 
Buonaparte  that  Turkish  Egypt  advanced  so  far  to  iht?  south. 

*  Gibbon,  Vol.  T.  c.  i. 


4     w     c  (■\»>''U.'V> 


INTKODUCTION. 


The  French  expedition  has  always  been  stigmatised  as  a 
fruitless  crime.  But  by  the  French  the  power  of  the  Mame- 
lukes was  broken ;  by  the  French  was  displayed  on  Egyptian 
soil  the  superior  genius  of  Europe,  and  thence  may  be 
derived  a  movement  similar  to  that  which  in  the  days  of 
the  Pharaohs  was  produced  by  the  Phil-Hellenes,  or  kings 
who  were  "  lovers  of  the  Greeks."  Mehemet  Ali  organised 
an  army  in  the  European  manner,  and  crossing  the  Nubian 
Desert,  conquered  the  lowlands  of  Ethiopia  or  Soudan.  At 
the  same  time  he  commenced  the  civilisation  of  Cairo. 
These  two  great  projects,  culture  in  the  capital,  and  con- 
quest in  Soudan,  have  been  carried  out  of  late  years  with 
marvellous  intelligence  and  energy  by  the  reigning  Khedive. 
To  understand  what  has  been  accomplished,  let  us  compare 
the  Egypt  and  Ethiopia  of  the  present  with  the  past. 

In  the  past,  a  European  traveller  who  visited  Egypt* 
incurred  contumely  and  considerable  risk.  He  was  not 
allowed  to  ride  on  a  horse ;  he  was  called  "  dog "  by'  the 
pious  who  passed  him  in  the  streets,  and  pelted  by  the 
playful  gamin ;  the  dogs  barked  at  him ;  the  women  turned 
their  eyes  away  as  if  they  had  seen  an  unclean  thing.  But 
now  Cairo,  like  Kome  and  Florence,  lives  upon  tourists,  who, 
,  if  they  are  not  beloved,  are  welcome  ;  the  city  is  lighted  by 
gas :  it  has  public  gardens  in  which  a  native  military  band 
performs  every  afternoon;  an  excellent  theatre,  for  which 
Verdi  composed  Aida ;  new  houses  in  the  Parisian  style  are 
springing  up  by  streets,  and  are  let  out  at  high  rents  as  soon 
as  they  are  finished.  No  gentleman  wears  a  turban ;  and  few 
any  longer  affect  to  despise  the  blessings  of  a  good  education. 

Let  us  now  pass  on  to  the  south.  In  the  olden  time  the 
Nubian  Desert  was  infested  by  roving  bandit-tribes.  Since 
the  days  of  Mehemet  Ali  they  have  earned  an  honest 


INTRODUCTION.  v  . 

Ikelihood  by  letting  out  their  camels :  and  soon  they  will 
become  navvies,  railway  porters,  &c.  Already  there  is 
telegraphic  communication  between  Cairo  and  Khartoom, 
and  a  railway  is  about  to  be  commenced.  As  for  the 
Soudan,  it  was  formerly  divided  among  a'  number  of  bar- 
barous chiefs  almost  incessantly  at  war.  It  is  now  conquered 
and  at  peace,  and  trade  is  seldom  disturbed.  Civilised 
opinion,  all-powerful  at  Cairo,  penetrates  into  the  remotest 
recesses  of  this  new  African  empire ;  the  traffic  in  slaves  is 
abolished,  and  those  who  perpetrated  their  crimes  in  the 
dark  depths  of  the  continent  have  lately  been  reached  by 
the  arm  of  the  law. 

It  is  my  purpose  in  making  these  remarks  to  show  what 
facilities  for  geographical  research  are  afforded  by  the  power 
and  good  will  of  Egypt.  In  former  times  the  explorer 
began  at  the  Nubian  Desert  or  the  Eed  Sea ;  he  might  be 
plundered  of  all  that  he  possessed  before  he  entered  negro 
Africa  at  all.  Supposing  he  arrived  safely  in  Sennaar,  he 
was  at  once  exposed  to  those  vexatious  extortions  and 
delays  which  so  frequently  robbed  him  of  his  money  and  his 
health  before  he  had  opened  new  ground.  As  it  is,  a 
firmam  from  the  Viceroy  obtains  him  men  and  boats  from 
the  governor  of  Khartoom,  and  therefore  his  point  of 
departure  is  shifted  many  degrees  to  the  south.  He  is  now 
able  to  penetrate  into  the  heart  of  Africa  before  he  en- 
counters an  independent  chief.  The  area  of  the  firmam  is 
immense,  but  beyond  that  area  the  dangers  and  difficulties 
of  travel  are  perhaps  increased  by  the  aggressive  policy  of 
Egypt.  The  princes  of  Darfoor  and  Waday  have  a  constant 
dread  of  annexation,  and  a  European  traveller,  if  he  entered 
those  countries,  would  find  it  difficult  to  obtain  his  conge. 
The  west  forest  region  which  lies  south  of  Darfoor  and 


vi  INTRODUCTION. 

Waday,  and  also  along  the  main  stream  of  the  Nile,  has 
always  been  a  slave-hunting  ground ;  annual  raids  are  made 
from  Darfoor  and  Waday,  the  hunters  taking  out  licences 
from  their  kings,*  and  the  Egyptian  company  of  bandits, 
whom  Sir  Samuel  Baker  recently  dispersed,  hunted  the 
land  south  of  Gondokoro.  iThese  wars  unsettled  the  country 
and  rendered  it  difficult  for  travel.  The  slave-hunters 
intrigued  against  the  European,  fearing  that  he  would 
expose  them  to  the  government  at  Cairo;  and  the  slave- 
hunted  had  learnt  to  regard  all  white  men  as  their  foes 
and  oppressors.  Thus  it  has  happened  that  out  of  a  host 
of  men  who  have  attempted  to  penetrate  Africa  from  north 
to  south  only  two  have  achieved  success.  The  first  and 
foremost  of  these  is  Sir  Samuel  Baker;  the  second  is  Dr. 
G.  A.  Schweinfurth,  the  author  of  this  work. 

He  was  born  at  Kiga  in  December  1836,  and  was  the 
son  of  a  merchant.  He  studied  at  Heidelberg  and  Berlin, 
where  he  took  his  degree  as  Doctor  of  Philosophy,  and  devoted 
himself  from  his  boyhood  to  the  science  of  botany.  At  his 
first  school  one  of  the  masters  was  a  son  of  a  missionary  in 
South  Africa ;  he  used  often  to  describe  the  wonders  of  that 
country,  and  perhaps  it  was  in  this  manner  that  his  mind 
was  turned  towards  that  country  which  afterwards  created 
his  career.  But  the  proximate  cause  was  a  collection  of 
plants  placed  in  his  hands  to  arrange  and  describe.  In  1860, 
the  young  Freiherr  von  Barnim,  accompanied  by  Dr. 
Hartmann,  had  made  a  journey  in  the  region  of  the  Nile, 
where  he  had  fallen  a  victim  to  the  climate.  His  collections 
were  brought  home,  and  as  Schweinfurth  day  after  day 
studied  these  dry  corpses,  a  yearning  came  upon  him  to  go  to 


*  Mohammed  el  Tounsy,  Wadai. 


INTRODUCTION. 


vii 


the  land  where  he  might  behold  them  in  all  their  bloom  and 
their  beauty,  and  where  he  might  discover  new  species — 
those  golden  joys  for  tlie  explorer.  In  18f33,  he  left  Berlin 
for  Egypt,  and  liaving  botanised  in  the  Delta  of  the  Nile, 
travelled  along  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea,  skirted  the 
Highlands  of  Abyssinia,  passed  on  to  Khartoom,  and  finally, 
his  purse  being  empty,  returned  to  Europe,  after  an  absence 
of  two  years  and  a  half,  with  a  splendid  collection  of  plants. 
But  soon  he  languished  for  Africa  again,  and  submitted  to 
the  Eoyal  Academy  of  Science  a  plan  for  the  botanical 
exploration  of  the  equatorial  districts  lying  west  of  the  Nile* 
His  proposals  were  at  once  accepted ;  he  received  a  grant  of 
money  from  the  Humboldt  Institution,  and,  in  1868,  he 
landed  in  Egypt.  During  three  years  he  was  absent  in  the 
heart  of  Africa,  and,  even  before  he  had  returned,  his  name  had 
already  become  .famous  in  Europe  and  America.  Travelling, 
not  in  the  footsteps  of  Bakei,  but  in  a  westerly  direction,  he 
reached  the  neighbourhood  of  Baker's  lake,  passing  through 
the  country  of  the  Niara-Niam,  and  visiting  the  unknown 
kingdom  of  Monbuttoo.  As  an  explorer,  he  stands  in  the 
highest  rank,  and  merits  to  be  classed  with  Mungo  Park, 
Denham  and  Clapperton,  Livingstone,  Burton,  Speke  and 
Grant,  Barth  and  Rohlfs.  He  can  also  claim  two  qualifi- 
cations which  no  African  traveller  has  hitherto  possessed.  He 
is  a  scientific  botanist,  and  also  an  accomplished  draughts- 
man. Park  had  some  knowledge  of  botany,  and  Grant 
made  an  excellent  collection,  but  both  must  be  regarded 
as  merely  amateurs.  In  other  works  of  African  travel  the 
explorer  has  given  rude  sketches  to  some  professional  artist, 
and  thus  the  picture  has  been  made;  but  Schweinfurth's 
sketches  were  finished  works  of  art.  In  a  geographical  sense, 
this  work  is  of  importance  as  a  contribution  to  the  problem 


viii 


INTEODUCTION. 


of  the  Nile ;  and  ethnologically  it  sets  at  rest  a  point  wliicli 
has  long  been  under  dispute,  viz.,  the  existence  of  a  dwarf 
race  in  Central  Africa.  These  Pygmies  are  mentioned  by  the 
classical  writers ;  much  has  been  said  about  them  by  modern 
travellers  on  the  Nile;  Krapf  saw  one  on  the  Eastern 
Coast;  the  old  voyagers  allude  to  their  existence  in  the 
kingdom  of  the  Congo,  and  Du  Chaillu  met  them  in 
Ashango  Land.  Yet  still  much  mystery  remained  which, 
thanks  to  Schweinfurth,  is  now  at  an  end.  That  such  a  race 
exists  is  now  placed  beyond  a  doubt ;  and  it  is  probable  that 
these  dwarfs  are  no  other  than  the  Bushmen  of  South 
Africa,  who  are  not  confined,  as  was  formerly  supposed,  to 
that  corner  of  the  continent,  but  also  inhabit  various  remote 
recesses  of  Africa,  and  were  probably  the  original  natives  of 
the  country. 

WiNWOOD  Keade. 


11  *  

||  25 

^  L 

1  ■  ' 

^  3  i 
30 

lith.v.  C JCorb^e-weit,  Berlin 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

My  former  journey  —  Inducements  to  a  second  —  Plan  and  object  — 
Custom-house  difficulties  at  Suez  —  Scenes  in  the  Governor's  divan  — 
Environs  of  Suez  —  Sulphur  mine  of  Gimsah  —  Kecluse  life  of  the 
officials  —  An  unenticing  coast  —  The  roadstead  of  Djidda  —  The  bride 
of  the  fish  —  Voyage  across  the  Eed  Sea  —  Salt  works  of  Koway  — 
Appearance  of  the  shore  —  Charm  of  the  moonlight  nights  —  Import- 
ance of  Suakin  —  First  night-camp  in  the  mountains  —  New  species 
of  Dracsena  —  Numerous  succulents  among  the  flora  —  The  valley  of 
Singat  —  Idyllic  abode  of  the  Governor  —  Mountains  of  Erkoweet  — 
The  olive-tree  wild  —  Gardens  of  the  desert  —  Characteristics  of  the 
town  Bedouins  —  Equipment  for  the  desert  —  Old  fanatic  from  Kano  — 
Injury  and  oppression  —  The  Bedouin  camp  0-Mareg  —  Brown  coating 
of  the  rocks  —  Goats  and  sheep  of  the  Bedouins  —  Plant  with  my  own 
name  —  Contest  with  the  camel-drivers  —  Ugliness  of  the  women  —  A 
monument  of  nature  —  Arrival  at  the  Nile  —  Tent  in  peril  —  A  wedding 
—  The  ninety-nine  islands  and  the  Sablook-straits  —  Pitiable  condition 
of  the  country  —  Arrival  at  Khartoom   Page  1 


CHAPTER  II. 

Kind  reception  in  Khartoom  —  Dyafer  Pasha,  the  Governor-General  — 
Contract  with  Ghattas  —  HeiT  W.  Duisberg  —  Ivory  trade  at  Khartoom 
—  Khartoom  possessions  in  the  negro  countries  —  Departure  from  Khar- 
toom —  Manning  of  the  boat  —  Construction '  of  the  Eiartoom  boats  — 
First  night  on  the  White  Nile  —  Character  of  the  landscape  —  Washing 
away  of  the  east  bank  —  Fertility  of  the  country  on  the  west  —  Acacia 
forests  —  Herds  of  the  Hassanieh  —  Numerous  hippopotamuses  —  Geese 


CONTENTS. 


and  ducks  —  Beginning  of  the  wilderness  —  The  Ambatch-wood  — 
First  day  of  ill-luck  —  Eunning  over     wild  buffalo  —  Baggara  Arabs 

—  Brethren  in  the  faith  —  The  mountain  Nyemati  —  Evening  gossip 
about  pygmies  —  Native  Egyptian  cultivated  plants  —  Buffalos  alarming 
the  Baggara  —  Mohammed  Kher,  the  robber  chief  —  Impressions  on  the 
first  sight  of  savages — Boat  attacked  by  bees  —  Frightful  agony  — 
Gadflies  —  Giant  snails  —  A  man  carries  three  canoes  —  Kepair  of  the 
sail -yard  —  Fashoda  the  most  southern  military  station  —  Fifteen 
Shillooks  at  a  shot  —  Gay  temperament  of  the  people  —  Gun  accidents 

—  African  giant  snakes   Page  43 


CHAPTEE  III. 

Camp  of  the  Mudir  —  A  negro  king  —  Campaigns  —  Future  of  the  country 

—  A  wise  judge  —  The  shrieking  priest  —  Gum-arabic  —  The  melodious 
tree  —  Mohammed  Aboo-Sammat  —  Boats  on  the  flight  —  Treachery  of 
the  Shillooks  —  General  market  —  Excuse  for  plunder  —  First  papyrus 

—  Ceesar  among  the  pirates  —  Useless  attempts  to  proceed  —  A  world  of 
grass  —  Hippopotamuses  in  a  fright  —  The  last  obstacle  —  Depreciation 
of  the  Gazelle  stream  —  Bon-mot  of  the  Viceroy  —  Ghattas's  namesake 

—  The  slipper-shape  —  Description  of  the  Nueir  —  Analogy  between 
man  and  beast  —  Cactus-type  of  Euphorbige  —  The  Bahr-el-Arab  a 
mainstream  —  Vallisneria  meadows  —  Arrival  in  Port  Rek  —  True 
nature  of  the  Gazelle  —  Discovery  of  the  Meshera  —  Deadly  climate  and 
its  victims  —  Le  Saint  —  Features  of  the  scenery  —  The  old  queen  and 
her  prince  consort  —  Eoyal  gifts  —  Fishes  and  birds    84 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Start  for  the  interior  —  Flags  of  the  Khartoomers  —  Comfortable  traveUing 
with  bearers  —  The  African  elephant  —  Parting  from  Shol  and  Kurd- 
yook  —  Disgusting  wells  in  the  district  of  the  Lao —  Wide  sandflats  — 
Village  of  Take  —  Fatal  accident  —  Arabian  protocol  —  Halt  in  the 
village  of  Kudy  —  Description  of  the  Dinka  —  Peculiarities  of  the  race 

—  Dyeing  of  the  hair  —  Nudity  —  "The  Turkish  lady"  —  Iron  age  — 
Weapons  of  the  Dinka  —  "  People  of  the  stick  "  —  Weapons  of  defence 

—  Domestic  cleanliness  —  Cuisine  —  Entertainment  of  the  ladies  — 
Snakes  —  Tobacco-smoking  —  Construction  of  the  huts  —  Dinka  sheep, 
goats,  and  dogs  —  Reverence  for  cattle  —  Degeneration  of  cows  —  In- 
testinal worms  —  Deficiency  of  milk  —  Large  murahs  —  Capabilities  of 
the  Dinka — Warlike  spirit  —  Treatment  of  enemies  —  Instance  of 
parental  affection  —  Forest  district  of  the  Al-Waj  —  Arrival  at  Ghattas's 
chief  Seriba  137 


CONTENTS. 


xi 


CHAPTER  V. 


Reception  at  the  Seriba  —  Population  —  Fertility  —  Salubrity  —  Manage- 
ment—  Poor  prospects  of  the  ivory  trade  —  Failure  of  European  firms 
in  Khartoom  —  Idrees,  the  chief  agent  —  Domestic  arrangements  — 
Beauties  of  spring  —  The  daughter  Seriba  Geer  —  Bit  of  primeval 
forest  —  Girafte-hunt  —  Bamboo  jungle  —  Negro  festival  and  music  — 
Trip  to  the  Dyoor  and  to  Wow  —  Desertion  of  bearers  —  Good  enter- 
tainment—  Marquis  Antinori  and  Vayssi^re — Oldservant  of  Petherick's 

—  Hornblend  —  Height  of  the  water  of  the  Dyoor  —  Apostrophe  to 
the  river  —  A  model  Seriba  —  First  acquaintance  with  Niam-niam  — 
Trader  from  Tunis  —  The  Wow  River  —  Seriba  Agahd  in  Wow  — 
Edible  fruits  of  the  country  —  Wild  buffaloes  —  Instability  of  dwellings 

—  Caama  and  Leucotis  antelopes  —  Numerous  butterflies  —  Bear- 
baboons —  Pharaoh  palms  —  Daily  life  of  the  Dyoor — Their  race  — 
Iron-smelting  —  Formation  of  huts  —  Idyll  of  village  life  —  Hunt- 
ing with  snares  —  Women's  work  —  Graves  —  Care  of  young  and 
old    Page  172 


CHAPTER  VI. 


I/aying  out  a  garden  a  VEuropeenne  —  Hunting  adventure  with  a  bas- 
tard Gems-bok  —  Death  of  Arslan  —  Physiognomy  of  the  vegetation 

—  Character  of  the  soil  —  Geography  of  plants —  Destruction  of  a  Seriba  # 
by  natives  —  Seriba  law  —  Cattle-raids  on  the  Dinka — Tour  round 
Ghattas's  Seribas  —  Geography  at  Geer  —  Fish  of  the  Tondy  —  Fear  of 
ghosts  in  Kulongo  —  Caves  of  Gubbehee  —  Central  African  jackal  — 
Bamboos  in  blossom  —  Triumph  of  Nature  over  her  traducers  —  Joint- 
stock  distillery  in  Gurfala  —  Nubian  love  of  drink  —  Petherick's  Mundo 

—  Unsuccessful  chase  in  the  long  grass  —  Two  bush-antelopes  —  Culti- 
vated plants  of  the  district  —  Cereals  —  Large  growth  of  sorghum  — 
Leguminous  fruits  —  Oily  fruits  —  Tubers  —  Vegetables  —  Tobacco  — 
Smoking  in  Africa   213 


CHAPTER  VIL 

The  Bongo  :  Area,  boundaries,  and  population  of  Bongoland  —  Subjection 
of  the  Bongo  to  the  Khartoomers — Decrease  of  population  by  slave- 
trading  —  Eed  tinge  of  the  skin  —  Width  of  the  skull  —  Small  growth 
of  hair  —  No  aridity  in  climate  —  Wild  tubers  as  food  —  Paces  of  goats 
and  dogs  —  Hunting- weapons  —  Villages  and  huts' —  Smelting  furnaces 
—  Money  of  the  Bongo  —  Weapons  for  display  —  Wood-carving  — 


xii 


CONTENTS. 


Penates  of  the  Bongo  —  Musical  instruments  —  Character  of  Bongo 
music — Corpulence  of  the  women — Hottentot  Venus  —  Mutilation  of 
the  teeth  —  Disfigurement  of  the  lips  —  Arrow-poisoning  —  National 
games  —  Marriage  premiums  —  Natural  morality  —  Disposing  of  the 
dead  —  Memorial  erections — Mistrust  of  spirits  —  Loma,  good  ana 
ill  -  luck  —  Fear  of  ghosts  —  Belief  in  witches  —  Peculiarities  of  lan- 
guage— Unity  of  the  people  of  Central  Africa  —  Extermination  of -the 
race    . .  Page  256 


CHAPTEK  VIII. 


Calamities  by  fire  —  Deliverance  and  escape  —  Six  women-slaves  burnt  — 
Barterings  —  Domestication  of  wild-cats  —  Plague  of  cockroaches  — 
Pillen  wasps  —  Agamse  and  chameleons  —  Fever — Meteorology  —  Solar 
phenomenon  —  A  festal  reception  with  an  unfortunate  result  —  Disturb- 
ance of  rest  at  night  —  Murmuring  of  prayers  —  Jewish  school  —  Orgies 
and  drum-beating  —  Casting  out  devils  —  Kesolve  to  follow  Aboo-Sam- 
mat  —  Start  towards  the  south  —  Passage  of  the  Tondy  —  Character  of 
the  forest  —  The  water-bock  —  Scenery  by  night  —  Shereefee's  attack  — 
Seriba  Duggoo  —  Consequences  of  the  steppe-burning  —  Seriba  Dag- 
guddoo  —  Burnt  human  bones  and  charred  huts  —  Tropics  in  winter  — 
Two  kinds  of  ant-hills  —  Arrival  in  Sabby  —  Nocturnal  festivities  of 
the  Bongo  —  Desolation  of  the  country — Goat-suckers  —  Abund- 
ance of  game  —  The  zebra-ichneumon  —  The  spectral  mantis  —  Lions 
—  Wonderful  chase  after  hartebeests  —  Snake  and  antelope  at  a 
shot   315 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

Tour  through  the  Mittoo  country  —  Early  morning  in  the  wilderness  — 
Soldier  carried  away  by  a  lion  —  Dokkuttoo  —  Fishing  in  the  Eoah  — 
Feeding  a  slave  caravan  —  Ngahma  —  Dimindo,  the  hunter's  Seriba  — 
Wounds  from  the  grass  —  Dangadduloo  —  Entertainment  in  the  Seribas 

—  The  river  Kohl  —  Eeception  at  Awoory  —  Footsore  — Trial  of  patience 

—  People  of  the  district — Poncet's  Seriba  Mvolo  —  Mercantile  prospects 
for  the  Egyptian  Government  —  Fantastic  character  of  landscape  — 
Structure  of  pile-work  —  Kock-rabbits  —  Eock-rabbits'  feet  —  Nile 
cataract  in  miniature  —  The  Tinnea  cethiopica  —  Seriba  Karo  on  the 
Wohko  —  Eeggo  and  its  breed  of  dogs  —  Kurraggera  —  Aboo  Sam- 
mat's  festivities  —  A  speech  of  the  Kenoosian  —  Aboo  Sammat  and  the 
subjugated  chiefs  —  Deragoli  and  its  mountains— Kuddoo  on  the  Eoah 

—  Fear  of  lions  in  the  forest  of  Geegyee  —  Eeturn  to  Sabby  —  The 
Mittoo  people  —  Inferiority  of  race  —  Disfiguration  of  the  lips  by  Mittoo 
women  —  Fetters  of  fashion  —  Love  of  music  365 


CONTENTS. 


xiii 


CHAPTER  X. 

Preparations  for  Niam-niam.  campaign  —  Generosity  of  Aboo  Sammat  — 
Organisation  of  the  caravan  —  Ceremonies  at  starting  —  Banner  of 
Islam  —  Travelling  costume  —  Terminalia  forest  —  Hartebeest  chas«  — 
Ahmed  the  Liar — Prospect  from  Mbala  Ngeea — Bivouac  on  the 
Lehssy  —  Camp  noises  at  night  —  Story  of  cannibalism  —  Ahmed's 
fate  —  The  Ibba  —  First  meeting  with  Niam-niam  —  Growth  of  the 
popukky-grass  —  Elephant-hunting  among  the  Niam-niam  —  Surprise 
at  the  white  man  —  Visit  to  Nganye  —  A  chieftain's  household  — 
Entertainment  by  Nganye  —  Gumba  —  Colocasia  —  A  Niam-niam 
minstrel  —  Beauty  of  the  Zowa-trees  —  Encephalartus  on  the  hill  of 
Gumango  —  Cultivated  districts  on  the  Eye  —  Condition  of  hamlets  and 
farms  —  Devastation  of  Bendo's  district  —  Contest  with  the  soldiers  — 
Escape  from  a  bullet  —  Identity  of  the  Sway  and  the  Dyoor  —  The  law 
of  drainage  —  Passage  of  the  Manzilly  —  First  primeval  forest  —  Fron- 
tier wildernesses  —  Organisation  in  the  geography  of  plants  —  Import- 
ance of  guinea-fowl  to  the  traveller  —  Feeding  the  bearers  —  National 
diet   Page  415 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Aboo  Sammat's  territory — Jungle  on  the  brooks  —  Discovery  of  wild 
pepper  —  Giant  trees  —  Modesty  of  the  Niam-niam  women  —  Fresh 
danger  from  a  bullet  —  A  Bongo  poisoned  by  manioc  —  Liberal  treat- 
ment of  bearers  —  Nduppo's  disagreement  with  Wando — Savage  admira- 
tion of  Europeans  —  The  skin-trade  —  Wando 's  braggings  and  threaten- 
ings  —  Formation  of  columns  for  war  —  Natives  as  soldiers  —  Difficulties 
of  river-fording  —  Difference  of  level  of  soil  on  the  watersheds  —  Moham- 
med's prelude  to  drinking  beer  —  Division  of  forces  —  Primeval  forest  on 
theLindukoo  —  Eikkete's  jealousy  —  Varieties  of  genets  —  Mohammed's 
reveil — Morning  toilet  of  the  Niam-niam  —  Waterfall  on  the  Lin- 
dukoo  —  Magic  roots  —  Watershed  of  the  Nile  district  —  Simple  geolo- 
gical formation  of  Central  Africa  —  The  chimpanzee  and  pandanus  found 
only  beyond  the  watershed  —  Confusion  in  crossing  the  brook  —  Africa's 
revenge  on  the  white  man  —  Venturesome  interview  of  Mohammed  with 
Wando  —  Value  of  ivory  and  copper  —  Definition  of  a  "  gallery-wood  " 

—  Duality  of  vegetation  —  Wando  visits  my  tent  —  Wando's  nonchalance 

—  A  specimen  of  native  cookery  —  Six  Nubians  murdered  by  Niam- 
niam —  The  leaf-eater  and  grass-man   465 


xiv 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Poultry-market  —  Votive  pillars  and  hunting-trophies  —  Indirect  evidence 
of  cannibalism  —  The  chimpanzee  in  Central  Africa  —  Presents  of  chim- 
panzee skulls  —  New  style  of  huts  —  The  A-Banga  —  Cultivation  of 
manioc  in  Central  Africa  —  The  Treculia  —  Cam-wood  and  muscat  nuts 

—  Conflict  with  natives  —  Shooting-match  and  sham  fight  —  Magic 
lucifers  —  Mutual  interchange  of  blood  —  Botanical  excursion  inter- 
rupted —  Gyabir  wounded  —  Modes  of  expressing  pain  —  Female  slaves 
captured  —  Giant  lichens  —  Tree-termites  —  Monbuttoo  frontier  —  Ee- 
ception  by  Nembey  —  Northern  limit  of  the  oil-palm  —  Imaginary 
alarm  —  Unexpected  arrival  of  Khartoomers  —  Visit  of  Bongwa  and  his 
wife  —  Cattle  of  the  Maogoo  —  Cultivation  of  the  sugar-cane  —  Inter- 
view with  Izingerria  —  Arrival  at  the  Welle  —  Condition  of  the  Welle 

—  Eelations  of  the  stream  —  Crossing  the  river  —  Monbuttoo  canoes  — 
New  impressions  of  the  heart  of  Africa  —  Arrival  at  Munza's  re- 
sidence  Page  515 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


(ENGRAVED  BY  J.  D.  COOPER.) 

PAGE 

Ombet— Dragon  trees  to  face  22 

The  Lassav  (Copjparis  gfaZeato)         ..        ..        ..  ..        ..  23 

A  Bishareen  Sheep     ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..       ..        ..  34 

Aboo-Odfa   37 

Ambatch  Canoe         ..        ..  ..       ..        ..        ..        ..  77 

View  of  Fdshoda   80 

VxicklQ^     Acacia  fistula       ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  98 

In  full  flight  before  the  Shillook  canoes  to  face  100 

The  vessels  in  the  grass-barrier       ..       ..       ..       ..       ..  <o /ace  106 

Balseniceps  Rex         ..        ..  ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  116 

The  Meshera  128 

The  old  IShol  133 

View  on  the  Meshera  (Port  Rek)     . .   to  face  136 

Profiles  of  the  Dinka    149' 

A  Dinka  Dandy   151 

Dinka  Instruments  for  parrying  club  blows         ..        ..        ..        ..  155 

Dinka  village    . .        . .        . .        - .        . .        . .        . .        ..to  face  159 

Sectional  View,  showing  construction  of  Dinka  Hut       ..        ..        ..  160 

Dinka  Bull   161 

Dinka  Sheep  ..      •  •     ..        ..  162 

Dinka  Goat   163 

"  Kyatt  "  Worm   166 

Dinka  cattle-park       . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        , .        ..to  face  166 

The  chief  settlement  of  Kurshook  Ali.    A  majestic  Khaya-tree  ..  to  face  188 
Central  African  Hartebef^st   ,.        .,        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  195 

Leucotis  Antelope  (male)      .         ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ,.  196 

Leucotis  Antelope  (female)    . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .  197 

Brass  Ornaments  of  the  Dyoor         . .        . .        . .        . .       . .        . .  202 

Portrait  of  a  Dyoor     ,.        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  203 

Portrait  of  a  Dyoor     ..        ..        ..        ,.        ..        ..        ..        .,  204 

Spear  Head   205 

Dyoor  Spade     . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .  ih. 

Dyoor  Sraelting-furnace        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  207 

Dyoor  village  in  winter         ,.        ..  ..        ..        ..   to  face 

Central  African  Bastard  Gemsbok  (Antilope  leucojplima)  ..        ..        ..  217 

Vol.  1,-2 


xvi  LIST  OF  ILLUSTKATIONS. 

PAGE 

Kosaria  palmata         ..       ..       ..       ..       ..       ,.       ..  220 

The  Kilnoky  231 

Young  Polyptems   232 

The  Madoqua  244 

TheDeloo  245 

Central  African  Yam  251 

The  Nyitti    ..        ..   '  ib. 

Cskljx  of  the  Hibiscus  Sahdarif a      ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  253 

Bongo  Goat   270 

Short-bodied  Goat  of  the  Bongo   271 

Vertical  Section  of  Smelting-oven   ..        ..  278 

Iron  Money   279 

Bongo  Lances  . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .  280 

Pincers  used  by  the  Bongo  women  for  plucking  out  their  eyelashes     . .  281 
Knife  of  the  Bongo  women    , .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .  ih. 

The  Dangabor  and  a  single  ring      . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .  282 

Bongo  stool     283 

Yanga's  grave  ..       ..       ..       ..       ..       ..       ..       ..       ..  285 

Bongo  293 

Bongo  woman  . .       . .     '   , .       . .        . .       . .       . .       . .       . .  295 

Phenomenon  on  the  17th  of  May,  1869  (coZoMrt'fZ^Zafe)    ..        ..  to  face  326 

The  Depression  of  the  Tondy . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        ..to  face  336 

The  Central  African  Waterbock  (Antilope  ellipsipt-yma)  ..•       ..        ..  339 

Mushroom-shaped  white-ant  hills     . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .  349 

View  in  the  district  of  Mvolo  . .        . .        . .        . .        ....  to  face  384 

Poncet's  Seriba  in  Mvolo       , .        . .        . .        . .        . .        ..to  face  ib. 

Goggo,  a  Mittoo-Madi  Chief  394 

Goat  of  the  Bongo,  Mittoo,  Momvoo,  and  Babuckur        ..        ..       ,.  405 

Lory,  a  Mittoo  Woman  . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .        . .  407 

Wengo,  a  Mittoo  Woman       ..        ..        ..        ..       ..        ..        ..  408 

Loobah  Woman  ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  409 

Cone  of  quartz  worn  in  the  lip        ..        ..        ..       ..        ..        ..  ib. 

Apron  worn  by  the  Madi.      ..        ..        ..       ..        ..        ..        ..  410 

Ngahma,  a  Mittoo  Chief       ..        ..        ..        ..        ..       ..       ..  411 

Mittoo  Lyre      .  .        ..  413 

Niam-niam  in  full  dress        ..        ..        ..  ..       ..        ..  439 

Coiffure  of  the  Niam-niam    . .        . .        . .       . .        . .        . .       . .  440 

A  Niam-niam  Minstrel         ..        ..        ..       ..        ..        ..  to  face  445 

A  Niam-niam  Girl      ,.  ..        ..        ..       ..        ..        ..  472 

Niam-niam  hamlet  on  the  Diamvonoo        ..       ..        ..        ..  to  face  517 

An  A-Banga    524 

Platycerium  Elephantotis,  Schweinf.         ..        ..        ..        ..        ..  538 

Bongwa's  Wife  . .       ..       ..       ..       ..  ..       ..       ..  544 

Entry  to  Izingerria's  Mbanga         ..        ..       ..        ..        ..  to  face  546 


Large  Map  of  Dr.  Schweinfurth's  Discoveries  in  Central  Africa  to  follow  viii 


THE  HEART  OE  AEEICA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

My  former  journey.  Inducements  to  a  second.  Plan  and  object.  Custom- 
house difficulties  at  Suez.  Scenes  in  the  Governor's  divan.  Environs  of 
Suez.  Sulphur  mine  of  Gimsah.  Recluse  life  of  the  officials.  An  un- 
enticing  coast.  The  roadstead  of  Djidda.  The  bride  of  the  fish.  Voyage 
across  the  Red  Sea.  Salt  works  of  Roway.  Appearance  of  the  shore. 
•  Charm  of  the  moonlight  nights.    Importance  of  Suakin.    First  night-camp 

in  the  mountains.  New  species  of  Dracaena.  Numerous  succulents  among 
the  flora.  The  valley  of  Singat.  Idyllic  abode  of  the  Governor.  Moun- 
tains of  Erkoweet.  The  olive-tree  wild.  Gardens  of  the  desert.  Charac- 
teristics of  the  town  Bedouins.  Equipment  for  the  desert.  Old  fand.tic 
from  Kano.  Injury  and  oppression.  The  Bedouin  camp  0-Mareg.  Brown 
coating  of  the  rocks.  Goats  and  sheep  of  the  Bedouins.  Plant  with  my 
own  name.  Contest  with  the  camel-drivers.  Ugliness  of  the  women.  A 
monument  of  nature.  Arrival  at  the  Nile.  Tent  in  peril.  A  wedding. 
The  ninety-nine  islands  and  the  Sablook-straits.  Pitiable  condition  of  the 
country.    Arrival  at  Khartoom. 

When,  in  the  summer  of  1868,  I  prepared  for  the  great 
journey,  of  which  the  following  pages  contain  the  description, 
I  was  already  no  novice  on  African  soil.  In  1863  I  had 
served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  art  of  travelling  in  the  sunny 
fields  of  Egypt  and  Nubia.  For  months  together,  in  my  own 
boat,  I  had  navigated  the  Ked  Sea ;  and  it  was  while  I  was 
exploring  the  untraversed  mountains  by  its  coasts  that  I 
seriously  conceived  my  larger  project.  My  curiosity  was 
particularly  attracted  towards  the  district  of  the  independent 
Bishareen.  I  had  then  repeatedly  crossed  the  country  be- 
i  ween  the  Nile  and  the  sea,  and  while  sojourning  on  the  lower 


2 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


terraces  of  the  Abyssinian  highlands,  I  had  learnt  to  appre- 
ciate the  full  enchantment  of  the  wonders  of  nature  in  Africa. 

In  1866,  passing  through  Khartoom  and  Berber,  I  found 
my  way  back  again  to  Egypt. 

Once  entertained,  the  project  of  the  botanical  investigation 
of  these  lands  resolved  itself  more  and  more  into  the 
problem  of  my  life.  The  splendid  herbarium,  too,  which  I 
had  carried  home  as  the  reward  of  my  labours,  obtained 
though  it  was  at  the  cost  of  repeated  attacks  of  fever,  contri- 
buted to  intensify  my  desire.  Altogether  the  result  of  my 
first  attempt  was  an  encouragement  and  happy  omen  for  my 
success  in  a  second.  My  experience  hitherto  was  likewise 
advantageous  to  me  so  far  as  this, — it  had  afforded  oppor- 
tunity of  cultivating  the  faculty  so  necessary  to  every  ex- 
plorer of  unknown  districts,  of  correctly  generalising  from 
details.  Observations  and  impressions  require  to  be  surveyed 
from  a  comprehensive  point  of  view,  in  order  that  the  charac- 
teristic features  of  a  country  may  be  represented  in  their  true 
pix)portions. 

Besides  this  general  information  which  I  had  practically 
gained  and  which  I  could  no  more  have  learnt  from  books 
than  I  could  have  learnt  the  foreign  habits  and  modes  of 
thought,  I  had  also  acquired  that  fluency  in  the  Arab 
vernacular  which  is  indispensable  to  every  traveller,  and 
which,  moreover,  appears  to  suffice  for  the  whole  of  the 
immense  district  which  is  commanded  by  the  Nile  and  its 
host  of  tributaries. 

Herbarium,  topography,  and  language  all  seemed  to 
favour  me ;  the  chief  drawback  was  the  state  of  my  health. 
I  suffered  from  a  disorganised  condition  of  the  spleen,  which 
gave  me  some  uneasiness  and  misgiving ;  yet,  after  all,  it 
appeared  to  be  just  the  key  that  had  unlocked  the  secret  of 
the  unexampled  good  fortune  of  my  journey.  The  numerous 
attacks  of  fever  had  probably  reduced  it  to  such  a  state  of 
inactivity,  that  it  ceased  to  be  affected  by  any  miasma ;  or 


BOTANICAL  ARDOUK. 


3 


perhaps  it  had  assumed  the  function  of  a  condensator,  so  as 
to  render  the  miasma  innocuous.  Anyhow,  it  seemed  to 
perform  services  which  I  could  not  do  otherwise  than  grate- 
fully accept  as  a  timely  gift  of  Providence.  As  a  farewell 
on  my  landing  in  Alexandria,  I  experienced  one  slight 
twinge  from  my  malady,  and  then  it  was  quiet ;  it  did  not 
again  re-appear  even  in  the  noxious  swamps  of  the  Upper 
Nile,  which  had  been  disastrous  to  so  many  of  my  prede- 
cessors. No  recurrence  of  my  disorder  interrupted  my 
activity  or  clouded  my  enjoyment,  but  fever-free  I  remained, 
an  exception  among  a  hundred  travellers. 

The  time  which  elapsed  between  the  completion  of  my 
first,  and  the  commencement  of  my  second  journey,  was 
occupied  in  studies  which  were  directed  to  the  scientific 
classification  and  analysis  of  what  had  been  so  abundantly 
secured. 

Whoever  knows  the  blameless  avarice  of  a  plant-hunter 
will  understand  how  these  studies  could  only  arouse  in  me  a 
craving  after  fresh  booty.  I  could  not  forget  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  Nile  territory,  with  the  mysterious  flora 
of  its  most  southern  affluents,  still  remained  a  fresh  field  for 
botanical  investigations ;  and  no  wonder  that  it  presented 
itself  as  an  object  irresistibly  attractive  to  my  desires.  But 
one  who  has  himself,  on  the  virgin  soil  of  knowledge  in  un- 
opened lands,  been  captivated  by  the  charm  of  gathering 
fresh  varieties,  and  has  surrendered  himself  to  the  unreserved 
enjoyment  of  Nature's  freedom,  will  be  prompted  to  yet 
keener  eagerness ;  such  an  one  cannot  be  daunted  by  any 
privation  he  has  undergone,  nor  deterred  by  any  alarm  for 
his  health :  he  recalls  as  a  vision  of  Paradise  the  land  he  has 
learnt  to  love;  he  exaggerates  the  insalubrity  of  a  northern 
climate ;  he  bewails  the  wretched  formality  of  our  civilised 
life,  and  so,  back  to  the  distant  solitudes  flies  his  recollection, 
like  a  dove  to  the  wilderness. 

Of  this  kind  were  my  impressions  as  these  two  years  passed 


4  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

away.  I  was  prohibited  from  any  immediate  prosecution  of 
my  hope  by  the  inadequacy  of  my  pecuniary  means.  A  wel- 
come opportunity,  however,  soon  presented  itself,  and  enabled 
me  to  resume  my  investigation  of  the  district  of  the  Nile. 

After  the  death  of  Alexander  von  Humboldt,  there  had 
been  founded  in  Berlin,  as  a  monument  of  gratitude  and 
recognition  of  his  services,  the  "Humboldt  Institution  of 
Natural  Philosophy  and  Travels."  The  object  of  this  was, 
without  regard  to  nationality  or  creed,  to  assist  talent  in 
every  direction  in  which  Humboldt  had  displayed  his 
scientific  energies ;  and  it  was  especially  directed  that  the 
funds  should  be  applied  to  promote  travels  in  the  most 
remote  districts.  The  Institute  contemplated  a  supply  of 
means  for  the  prosecution  of  those  philosophical  studies  to 
which  Humboldt  dedicated  himself  with  such  unceasing 
ardour.  The  Koyal  Academy  of  Science  of  Berlin  was 
vested  alike  with  the  power  of  deciding  on  the  undertakings 
and  of  selecting  suitable  agents  to  carry  out  their  designs. 

To  that  eminent  scientific  corporation  I  ventured  to  submit 
a  scheme  for  the  botanical  investigation  of  those  equatorial 
districts  which  are  traversed  by  the  western  afiluents  of  the 
Upper  Nile.  My  proposal  met  with  a  ready  sanction,  and 
I  was  rejoiced  to  receive  a  grant  of  the  disposable  funds  of 
the  Institution,  which  had  been  accumulating  for  the  space 
of  five  years. 

Thus  it  happened,  that  in  July  1868  I  was  once  more  upon 
the  soil  of  Africa. 

During  my  first  stay  at  Khartoom,  which  is  the  centre  of 
government  of  the  Egyptian  Soudan,  I  had  collected  a 
variety  of  information  about  the  ivory  expeditions  under- 
taken by  the  merchants  of  the  place  to  the  country  about  the 
sources  of  the  Nile ;  I  had  likewise  made  certain  alliances 
with  the  natives,  and  by  these  means  I  hoped  to  project  a 
plan  for  a  scientific  progress  over  the  district  on  a  firm  basis. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  in  the  heathen  negro  districts  of 


GOVERNMENT  COUNTENANCE. 


5 


the  Upper  Nile,  the  Egyptian  Government  exercised  little 
influence  and  no  authority.  Under  its  direction,  the  Khar- 
toom  merchants  had  indeed  done  something — for  sixteen 
years  they  had  traversed  the  land  in  well-nigh  every  direc- 
tion, and  they  had  established  stations  for  themselves  in  the 
negro  borders ;  but  they  had  not  made  good  any  hold  upon 
the  territory  in  general  Nevertheless,  I  had  no  alternative 
than  to  conclude  that  without  the  countenance  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and  without  the  co-operation  and  support  of  the  mer- 
chants, there  was  no  reasonable  expectation  that  the  objects 
of  a  scientific  traveller  could  be  forwarded. 

I  was  quite  aware  that  various  travellers  had  already 
attempted,  at  a  large  sacrifice  of  money,  to  arrange  inde- 
pendent expeditions,  and  to  engage  an  adequate  number  of 
armed  men  on  their  own  responsibility ;  but  no  sooner 
had  they  reached  the  more  remote  regions,  where  the  few 
channels  of  the  river  were  all  in  the  hands  of  the  merchants, 
than  they  necessarily  became  dependent  on  the  merchants 
for  their  supplies.  There  was,  besides,  no  other  quarter  on 
which  to  rely  for  obtaining  porters,  who  are  indispensable  in 
a  country  where  all  known  beasts  of  burden  are  accustomed 
in  a  short  time  to  succumb  to  the  climate. 

Upon  the  whole,  therefore,  I  soon  came  to  the  determina- 
tion of  being  taken  in  the  train  of  the  merchants  of  Khar- 
toom,  trusting  that  the  countries  opened  by  them  would 
offer  sufficient  scope  for  all  my  energies.  It  was  probable 
that  the  ivory  traders  would  never,  of  their  own  accord,  want 
to  thwart  me;  yet  I  would  not  rely  entirely  on  this,  as  I 
knew  that  they  were  themselves  subjects  of  the  Viceroy.  As 
matter  of  fact,  probably,  they  were  entire  masters  of  the 
situation  in  the  negro  countries,  and  really  irresponsible ; 
but  still  their  interests  made  them  apparently  subservient  to 
an  absolute  government,  and  this  was  the  handle  that  I 
desired  to  use  accordingly.  By  diplomatic  interest,  I  had 
secured  the  ostensible  recognition  of  the  Viceregal  Govern- 


6 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


ment,  but  from  my  own  experience,  I  was  fully  convinced  that 
mere  letters  of  recommendation  to  the  local  authorities,  as 
long  as  their  contents  are  limited  to  ordinary  formal  phrases, 
are  of  very  questionable  advantage.  I  might  refer  particu- 
larly to  Sir  Samuel  Baker's  misadventure  as  affording  an 
•  illustration  of  the  insufficiency  of  such  credentials.  I 
considered  myself  fortunate,  therefore,  in  obtaining  from  the 
Prime  Minister  of  the  Viceroy  (although  he  was  himself  not 
in  residence)  special  orders,  which  I  knew  were  indispensable, 
to  the  Grovernor-General  of  Khartoom.  The  Governor- 
General  was  to  superintend  any  contract  which  I  might 
make  with  the  merchants  to  secure  that  my  journey  through 
the  district  of  the  Gazelle  River  should  be  unhindered,  and 
to  ensure  the  due  fulfilment  of  whatever  obligations  might 
be  undertaken. 

Thus  the  course  appeared  to  be  smooth,  by  which  I  might 
hope  to  reach  the  centre  of  the  mysterious  continent ;  but  I 
was  still  far  from  my  object,  still  far  from  the  point  which  I 
could  consider  as  the  true  starting-point  of  my  real  journey. 
Between  Alexandria  and  Khartoom  was  a  route  familiar 
enough,  but  even  Khartoom  could  hardly  be  deemed  the 
beginning.  In  order  to  reach  the  cannibal  and  the  pigmy 
there  faced  me,  as  perchance  there  does  the  reader,  many  a 
trial  of  patience.  What  I  did  in  Alexandria  and  Cairo  can 
afford  little  or  no  interest ;  I  was  there  fully  occupied  in  pre- 
parations and  purchases  for  my  equipment,  at  times  feeling 
much  depressed.  Before,  me  lay  the  uncertain  future,  and 
the  perils,  which  I  could  not  conceal  from  myself,  of  this 
inhospitable  region  ;  and  behind  me  was  Europe,  in  which 
to  dwell  was  insupportable,  without  seeing  my  cherished 
designs  accomplished. 

In  Suez  the  dejection  of  despondency  yielded  to  feelings 
of  a  more  lively  nature,  partly  from  vexation,  partly  from 
amusement.  The  custom-house  afforded  me  vexation,  whilst 
the  Governor  s  divan  was  an  unfailing  source  of  amusement. 


AT  SUEZ. 


I  arrived  in  Suez  on  the  IGtti  of  August,  proposing  to 
continue  my  journey  to  Djidda  by  the  next  steamer.  Much 
gratified  by  the  intelligence  tliat  a  steamer  belonging  to  the 
Sulphur  Company  would  start  in  four  days,  I  was  proceeding 
to  embark  at  once,  when  I  was  stopped  by  the  custom-house 
authorities,  who  desired  a  strict  investigation  of  the  luggage, 
and  insisted  upon  payment  of  tlie  tariff  duties  for  every 
article  of  my  huge  accumulation  of  baggage.  Perhaps 
everything  might  have  been  arranged,  but  when  my  addi- 
tional waggon  appeared,  although  I  explained  that  it  had 
been  furnished  me  by  the  Government,  and  notwithstanding 
that  I  was  the  bearer  of  letters  directed  to  the  Egyptian 
revenue  officers,  the  director  required  an  extra  special  order, 
and  referred  me  to  the  Governor,  who  telegraphed  back  to 
Alexandria.  In  the  meantime,  for  the  next  two  days,  I  was 
compelled  to  take  turns  with  my  factotum,  the  Nubian 
servant,  to  sit  in  the  sun  on  my  baggage  in  order  to  protect 
my  boxes  which  contained  my  money  bags  full  of  Maria 
Theresa  dollars.  As  a  refuge  for  the  night  I  betook  ipyself 
to  a  hotel,  not  much  larger  than  a  hut,  in  which  I  had  already 
some  years  previously  found  the  accommodation  just  suited 
to  give  me  a  foretaste  of  the  privations  of  the  desert. 

My  consternation  may  be  imagined,  when  at  last  there 
arrived  from  the  capital  an  order  that  I  must  pay  precisely 
as  any  ordinary  traveller.  Hardly  had  I  recovered  my  first 
surprise,  when  accidentally  one  of  the  Governor's  clerks 
called  attention  to  some  contradictions  in  the  despatch. 
Further  inquiries  were  instituted,  and  the  discovery  was 
made  that  an  important  word  had  been  overlooked,  and  that 
the  tenor  of  the  message  was  that  I  was  "  not "  to  pay. 

Whilst  this  was  going  on,  and  I  was  kept  in  my  suspense, 
I  stayed  chiefly  in  the  Governor's  divan.  This  officer,  un- 
troubled at  the  revolutions  which  were  taking  place  around 
him,  untouched  by  any  development  of  the  spirit  of  the  age 
so  perceptible  here,  where  three-quarters  of  the  world  join 


8 


THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 


hands,  ruled  his  people  in  simplicity  and  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord.  During  the  time  which  I  passed  sitting  in  his  divan 
awaiting  the  issue  of  events,  I  was  a  witness  of  several  inci- 
dents exhibiting  this  simplicity,  and  which  struck  me  as 
being  somewhat  ludicrous.  First  stepped  in  a  swarthy- 
looking  fellow,  with  a  knavish  countenance,  such  as  one  meets 
but  seldom  even  in  the  streets  of  Alexandria.  He  wanted 
to  legit imatise  himself  in  his  character  of  a  British  subject, 
or  protege,''  as  he  styled  himself.  To  the  Governor's  inquiry 
where  he  came  from,  he  said  from  Tarablus.  "  Tarablus ! 
then  how  can  you  be  English  ?"  said  the  Governor.  Why, 
surely,  because  Tarablus  is  in  the  west,"  replied  the  rogue. 
It  was  objected  that  he  was  forging  a  lie,  and  that  Tarablus 
was  not  in  the  west,  and  thence  there  ensued  a  tedious 
geographical  discussion  about  Eastern  and  Western  Tripoli. 
The  rascal  went  on  to  assert  that  his  father  was  a  native  of 
Malta,  that  after  his  death  he  had  married,  settled  in  Tripoli, 
and  had  become  a  Mohammedan  ;  and  then  he  cunningly 
added,  "  Allah  be  with  you,  and  give  you  grace !  I  should 
hope  I  could  be  an  Englishman  and  yet  be  a  good  Mussul- 
man." Quite  satisfied,  the  Governor  gave  a  contented  look, 
and  let  him  pass.  The  order  was  given  for  the  next  appli- 
cant to  be  heard.  With  hesitating  steps  there  now  ap- 
proached a  little  man,  black  and  repulsive,  bringing  with 
him  a  veiled  girl  to  the  front.  It  was  a  scene  which  sug- 
gested the  thought  that  he  must  be  a  slave-dealer,  and  it 
reminded  me  of  one  of  Horace  Vernet's  famous  pictures  ;  but 
the  circumstances  were  different.  He  proceeded  to  unroll 
mysteriously  and  display  a  splendid  caftan  of  yellow  silk. 
He  was,  it  seemed,  a  tailor  of  the  suburbs,  and  the  veiled 
beauty  was  a  slave-girl  from  pnarea,  who  had  formerly  been 
sold  for  filthy  lucre,  and  was  now  bartering  her  honesty  under 
the  same  inducement.  The  caftan  was  a  gorgeous  vestment 
lined  with  imitation  ermine,  and  not  unlike  the  night-dress  of 
Ivan  the  Terrible,  which  is  preserved  in  the  Troitsky  con- 


SCENE  IN  THE  DIVAN. 


9 


vent  near  Moscow.  The  girl  had  ordered  the  dress,  and  now 
would  not  pay  for  it,  and  accordingly  the  tailor  had  brought 
her  with  him  to  the  Governor,  and  so  enforced  his  demand. 

The  next  scene  had  a  wonderful  climax.  It  might  almost 
remind  one  of  the  tedious  campaign  ending  with  the  sudden 
collapse  of  Magdala.  What  the  beginning  of  the  contention 
was,  I  cannot  tell.  The  Governor  had  apparently  been  trying 
to  mediate  between  two  Arnauts ;  but  as  the  prolonged  dis- 
course was  carried  on  in  Turkish,  I  did  not  understand  it. 
A  quantity  of  apples  were  produced,  and  some  of  them  laid 
for  an  evidently  conciliatory  purpose  beside  the  Governor 
All  at  once,  however,  some  misunderstanding  occurred,  and 
there  arose  a  furious  storm  of  apples :  they  were  hurled  in 
every  direction,  the  Bey  himself  being  the  originator  of  the 
bombardment ;  and  the  scene  closed  as  effectively  as  though 
there  had  been  a  display  of  fireworks.  For  myself,  I  was 
happily  protected  by  my  situation ;  but  I  could  see  all,  and 
am  ready,  if  need  be,  to  vouch  for  my  representation  in  the 
presence  of  the  great  Sultan  himself.  If  any  one  is  inclined 
to  suspect  that  such  a  sight  is  incompatible  with  the  dignity 
or  indolence  of  Turks,  I  can  only  remind  him  that  their 
enlarged  intercourse  with  temperaments  less  sluggish  than 
their  own  has  broken  down  much  of  their  composure ;  and 
that  now  just  as  little  patience  can  be  expected  from  an 
African  Bey  when  he  is  irritated,  as  from  an  excited  Bavarian 
corporal.  Although  these  details  may  appear  to  have  no 
direct  connection  with  what  concerns  Central  Africa,  yet 
they  are  significant  as  exhibiting  how  completely,  for  all  pur- 
poses of  administration,  every  institution  which  is  Turkish 
or  Mohammedan  remains  fixed  on  its  ancient  basis.  Though 
Suez  were  to  become  a  second  San  Francisco,  or  however 
much  it  ^  might  concentrate  upon  itself  the  traffic  of  the 
world,  scenes  of  judicial  practice  such  as  these  would  be 
sure  to  recur  until  the  last  Pasha  or  Bey  had  taken  farewell 
of  this  mortal  state. 


10 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Since  my  first  visit  five  years  ago,  in  January  1864,  the 
population  of  Suez  had  increased  threefold.  The  Abyssinian 
campaign  alone  had  been  the  means  of  almost  doubling  the 
number  of  its  inhabitants.  A  portion  of  the  camp  formed 
for  the  marching  troops,  and  an  immense  depot  for  trusses 
of  hay,  seeming  well  nigh  like  a  large  village  in  itself,  were 
now  the  sole  relics  of  that  successful  enterprise. 

The  fresh-water  canal,  which  had  now  been  completed  for 
five  years,  had  not  effected  any  marked  improvement  upon 
the  melancholy  environs  of  the  town,  where  desolation  still 
reigned  as  ever;  no  gardens,  no  plantations,  no  verdure 
relieved  the  eye,  which  sought  its  refreshment  from  the  blue 
sky  and  the  azure  sea.  The  hopeful  expectations  which 
were  entertained  from  that  canal  seem  by  no  means  to  have 
been  realised.  The  deposit  of  any  fertilising  soil  proceeded 
very  slowly,  and  hitherto  had  made  no  change  in  the  con- 
dition of  vegetation  at  Suez,  except  just  at  the  foot  of  the 
Mokkatan  mountains,  where  the  boulder  flats,  unimpregnated 
with  salt,  are  traversed  by  a  separate  side  branch  of  the 
main  canal.  Large  fields  of  vegetables  are  cultivated  here, 
and,  without  the  aid  of  man,  many  varieties  of  desert  plants 
contribute  to  the  verdure.  The  tourist  who  loves  to  inscribe 
fresh  acquisitions  in  his  diary,  may  here  without  trouble  find 
the  far-famed  "  rose  of  Jericho,"  which  he  would  seek  in 
vain  around  the  suburbs  of  Cairo. 

In  order  to  reach  Khartoom,  I  had  chosen  the  sea-route 
by  Suakin,  so  as  to  avoid  the  heat  and  fatigue  of  a  journey 
through  the  great  Nubian  desert.  This  sea-route,  by  Suakin 
and  Berber,  is  quicker  and  altogether  less  expensive  than 
that  by  Assouan  and  Korosko ;  but  it  is  not  advisable  for 
merchants  who  are  travelling  with  any  quantity  of  goods, 
on  account  of  the  heavy  duties  which  are  levied  both  at 
starting  from  Suez  and  at  landing  at  Suakin. 

To  save  trouble  and  time  I  thought  it  would  be  best  to 
proceed  to  Djidda,  and  there  hire  a  sailing  vessel  to  convey 


ON  THE  RED  SEA. 


11 


our  party  across  to  Suakin.  To  reach  Djidda,  I  made  choice 
of  a  little  French  packet  which  was  going  thither  in  pre- 
ference to  one  of  the*  Egyptian  Azizieh  steamers  which  ply 
between  Suez  and  Massowa.  These  larger  vessels  do  indeed 
touch  both  at  Djidda  and-  Suakin,  but  they  are  not  suited 
for  general  travellei^.  The  name  of  our  little  steamer  was 
*  Prince  Mohammed  Tawfik,'  (the  heir  -  apparent  to  the 
throne  of  Egypt)  ;  it  belonged  to  the  "  Compagnie  Soufriere," 
and  was  commissioned  to  supply  the  sulphur  mines  of 
Gimsah  on  the  Egyptian  coast  with  fresh  water  every 
fourteen  days.  Although  it  was  in  no  way  adapted  for 
the  conveyance  of  passengers,  I  was  nevertheless  quite 
comfortable  on  board.  It  was  a  vessel  of  only  300  tons 
burden,  but  by  dividing  the  receptacle  for  conveying  the 
Nile  water  into  seven  separate  compartments,  a  great 
economy  of  space  was  effected,  and  a  good  hold  reserved. 
The  fact  of  the  captain  being  a  Dane,  was  a  still  farther 
recommendation. 

It  was  a  memorable  morning,  that  18th  of  August,  on 
which  the  sailing  vessel  was  prepared  to  leave  the  roadstead. 
Many  a  curious  eye,  in  those  early  hours,  was  strained  to 
witness  the  sun,  as  its  disk  rose  darkened  by  the  shadow  of 
an  eclipse.  Above  the  flood  of  the  Erythraean  Sea  appeared 
a  golden  sickle,  its  crescent  light  bearing  resemblance  to  the 
moon.  We  were  detained  for  yet  two  days  in  the  roadstead  ; 
but  at  last  we  weighed  anchor,  and  the  little  craft  soon 
vanished  from  the  midst  of  its  more  imposing  neighbours, 
the  great  mail  ships  and  men-of-war,  which  gave  such  a 
bright  animation  to  the  anchorage.  A  refreshing  breeze 
from  the  north-east  carried  us  across  the  gulf.  Ever  deepen- 
ing violet  shadows  covered  the  shore,  until  the  obscurity  of 
night  had  completely  hidden  Mount  St.  Catherine  and  the 
Mount  of  Moses  from  our  gaze.  At  dawn  we  were  facing 
the  grim  shore  of  the  sulphur  mountain.  Here  we  were 
greeted  by  tlie  waving  of  the  French  tricolour,  which,  in  the 


12 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


monotonous  grey  that  mantled  the  whole  land,  afforded  a 
bright  resting-place  for  the  weary  eye. 

According  to  a  treaty  made  with  the  Egyptian  Govern- 
ment, the  Company  are  enabled  to  carry  on  their  operations 
over  160  miles  of  coast,  south  from  Cape  Seit,  where  the 
Egyptian  territory  forms  a  promontory  opposite  the  peninsula 
of  Sinai.  The  coast  line  is  similar  in  outline  to  the  adjacent 
Gimsah,  whilst,  with  the  group  of  islands  which  lie  off  it,  it 
forms  the  entrance  of  the  Gulf  of  Suez.  We  now  passed  down 
the  narrow  channel  which  divides  the  group  of  islands  from  the 
mainland,  and  there  lay  before  us  the  bluff  of  Gimsah,  a  steep 
mass  of  pure  gypsum,  white  as  chalk.  This  peak  is  about 
200  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea :  it  faces  nearly  south,  its 
aspect  is  bare,  and  like  all  the  mountains  contiguous  to  the 
sea  on  these  dreary  and  uninhabited  coasts,  it  presents  hardly 
the  faintest  tra^e  of  vegetation.  Since  July,  1867,  the  mines 
have  been  worked  by  a  gang  of  labourers,  of  which  twenty- 
six  were  Europeans  and  300  were  brought  from  Upper 
Egypt.  For  a  time  they  were  yielding  a  rich  produce,  which 
afforded  the  best  hopes  for  the  future;  but  now,  like  so 
much  else  in  the  country,  have  fallen  into  decay.  The 
mutual  intrigues  and  corruption  of  the  contractors  have 
yielded  a  fresh  testimony  on  the  one  hand,  to  the  continual 
ill-luck  of  the  Government,  which  seems  fated  never  to  be 
able  to  improve  the  bounty  of  its  natural  resources  ;  and  on 
the  other,  to  the  ruthless  avarice  of.  foreigners,  which  is  ever 
stopping  the  progress  of  the  country.  A  tedious  lawsuit 
has  laid  bare  a  whole  series  of  scandals,  discreditable  alike 
to  tte  directors  and  to  the  administrators  of  the  Viceregal 
Government.  The  state  of  affairs,  even  in  1868,  was  melan- 
choly enough.  The  Egyptian  Government  had  contracted 
to  supply  work  in  the  mines  at  a  stipulated  daily  rate  of 
payment.  For  the  protection  of  the  colony,  as  well  as  for 
the  maintenance  of  discipline  among  the  workmen,  a  guard 
of  twenty-five  soldiers  was  kept  at  Gimsah;  this  was  rather 


SULPHUR  WORKS  AT  GIMSAH. 


13 


a  superfluity,  since  the  Egyptian  workmen,  once  taken  into 
service,  could  not  easily  escape.  They  were  hemmed  in  on 
one  side  by  wide  deserts,  which  could  not  be  traversed  in  a 
day;  and  as  for  danger  on  the  other  from  the  Bedouins, 
none  could  be  apprehended.  A  report  about  the  Bedouins, 
which  was  current  at  Suez,  could  not  fail  to  awaken  my 
interest.  The  passengers  of  a  mail  steamer,  which  had 
lately  foundered  at  the  entrance  of  the  Gulf,  maintained  that 
they  had  seen  on  the  opposite  mainland  a  body  of  wild  men 
200  strong,  looking  out  for  booty  and  for  plunder.  Assuredly 
by  no  exertions  could  the  Bedouins  collect  such  a  force  in 
the  course  of  a  few  hours.  Poor  sons  of  the  desert,  I  knew 
them  better  !  An  exhausted  stomach,  shrivelled  up  on  their 
long  wanderings  till  it  is  like  an  empty  water-bottle,  is  the 
only  voice  in  their  naturally  harmless  character  which  could 
excite  to  violence.  Give  them  a  couple  of  handfuls  of  durra- 
corn,  and  you  have  made  them  the  best  of  friends.  Their 
desire  for  plunder  is  limited  to  the  robbing  of  turtles'  nests, 
and  the  taking  of  eggs  from  the  neighbouring  islands. 

Protected  by  numberless  coral-reefs,  the  coasts  of  the 
Red  Sea  everywhere  afford  to  small  vessels  the  most  com- 
fortable harbours  and  anchorage.  Here  a  short  stone  quay 
sufficed  as  a  mole  for  moorage,  and  close  behind  was  a 
grotto-like  cistern  in  the  rock,  into  which  the  water  could 
be  pumped  by  means  of  pipes  connected  with  the  reservoirs 
in  the  ship.  On  the  narrow  border  of  land  between  the  foot 
of  the  rock  and  the  sea,  were  erected  huts  of  planks  for  the 
workmen,  and  barracks  of  stone  for  the  officials  of  the  Com- 
pany. Such  was  the  little  piece  of  land  on  whicli  the  colojiy, 
composed  of  representatives  of  many  a  nation,  prolonged  its 
deplorable  existence.  Bounded  in  front  by  the  dreary 
expanse  of  sea,  which  was  rarely  enlivened  by  a  solitary  sail, 
shut  in  behind  by  the  sun-scorched  gypsum,  they  were  thus 
exposed  to  a  double  share  of  direct  and  reflected  rays.  The 
atmosphere  in  which  they  toiled  was  burdened  with  the 


14 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


stifling  fumes  of  sulphur,  and  oppressed  with  the  perpetual 
odour  of  burning  petroleum ;  not  alone  the  welfare,  but  the 
very  existence  of  the  colony,  was  dependent  on  the  safe 
return  of  the  steamer  which  provided  them  with  food  and 
drink.  Whoever  has  lingered  here  can  form  some  conception 
of  the  endurances  of  the  poor  beasts  in  our  zoological  gardens, 
which  have  been  brought  together  from  every  zone,  and 
caged  in  hopeless  imprisonment.  So  monotonously  and  void 
of  joy  did  the  days  of  these  wretched  miners  pass  away ;  they 
led  a  life  more  gloomy  than  monastic,  which  might  almost 
recall  the  first  century  of  Christendom.  Perhaps  such  a  life 
belongs  to  the  air,  for  it  may  be  remembered  that  the 
renowned  convents  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Antony  are  distant 
but  a  few  miles  to  the  north-west ;  they  are  remnants  of  the 
oldest  convents  that  are  known,  and  to  them,  as  often  as  a 
patriarch  is  required,  does  Egypt,  according  to  ancient  rule, 
ever  turn  to  supply  the  vacancy. 

In  reality  the  colony  of  Gimsah,  when  approached  from 
the  sea,  did  present  quite  the  appearance  of  a  monastic 
settlement  in  the  heart  of  a  desert.  Caverns  were  hewn  in 
all  directions,  in  order  to  work  the  veins  of  gypseous  spar 
containing  the  sulphur,  and  amongst  them  lay  a  row  of 
twelve  hexagonal  little  houses,  which  were  the  kilns,  buijt 
after  the  Sicilian  fashion,  and  which  might  at  first  be  mis- 
taken for  the  cells  of  pious  monks.  To  crown  the  denial  and 
privation  of  this  existence,  the  Company,  under  the  pretext 
of  maintaining  discipline,  order,  and  morality  among  the 
miners,  had  peremptorily  banished  all  women  from  the 
sulphur  coasts.  This  restriction  was  especially  irritating  to 
the  French,  and  as  a  refinement  of  cruelty  was  as  intolerable 
as  those  poisonous  fumes  of  pitch  and  sulphur  which  were 
here  set  free  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  Nevertheless  it 
would  seem  to  have  answered  well,  for  "young  and  old,  Arab 
and  European,  went  through  their  work  with  a  diligence 
such  as  is  rarely  to  be  observed  in  other  tropical  regions. 


TROPICAL  HEAT. 


15 


Only  when  the  sun's  heat  after  midday  was  m6st  insupport- 
able, was  there  a  cessation  of  labour.  At  12  o'clock,  when 
the  employe  of  the  Suez  Canal,  in  his  period  of  repose, 
sauntered  into  the  coffee-house  to  take  an  ice  or  to  enjoy  a 
game  at  billiards,  the  untiring  director  began  his  daily  cir- 
cuit of  inspection ;  and  seldom  has  a  quotation  seemed  to  me 
more  apt  than  that  in  which  he  said  that  the  hour  was  come 
in  which  he  must  surrender  himself  to  the  sulphurous  and 
torturing  flames. 

After  staying  twenty-four  hours  in  the  harbour  at  Gimsah, 
the  '  Prince  Mohammed  Tawfik '  continued  its  voyage  to 
Djidda,  where  it  arrived  on  the  fourth  day.  At  that  season, 
when  no  pilgrims  were  coming  or  going,  we  found  the 
harbour  all  but  deserted ;  only  one  French  and  two  Egyptian 
meti-of-war  were  in  the  security  of  the  roadstead.  I  easily 
obtained  an  open  Arab  boat,  which  I  hoped,  under  favourable 
gales,  should  convey  me  to  Suakin. 

On  account  of  the  prevalence  of  north-winds  through  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  navigation  in  the  Red  Sea  is  nearly 
always  as  easy  in  this  direction  as  it  is  difficult  in  the 
contrary.  This  accounts  for  European  sailing  vessels  so 
rarely  reaching  Suez ;  they  proceed  only  as  far  as  Djidda, 
^and  that  only  when  coming  from  India  or  at  the  time  of  the 
pilgrimage. 

I  had  to  spend  two  hot  days  on  board  while  my  baggage 

was  disembarked.    Whoever  has  been  to  India  knows  well 

enough  what  is  the  furnace  temperature  of  the  Red  Sea,  and 

how,  south  of  the  tropic  of  Cancer,  it  becomes  insufferable. 

The  thermometer  stood  at  midday  at  about  95°  Fahrenheit, 

and  the  air  was  like  a  vapour-bath.    The  sea  water,  a  few 

degrees  cooler,  afforded  us,  nevertheless,  some  refreshment, 

and  we  did  our  utmost  to  enjoy  it  at  all  hours  of  the  day. 

Still  there  was  something  very  enervating  and  depressing 

about  this  amphibious  life.    Had  the  heat  and  sun-glare  been 

less  overpowering,  we  might  have  truly  enjoyed  the  splashing 
Vol.  L— 3 


16 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


and  sport  in  the  bright  green  floods  which  spread  over  the 
shallows  where  coral  banks  ranged  themselves  below/  and 
where  the  eye  could  detect  a  thousand  marvels.  Like  ter- 
races filled  with  the  choicest  plants,  the  sloping  beds  of  coral 
descended  with  variegated  festoons  into  the  purple  shades  of 
the  deep ;  strange  forms  were  witnessed  in  these  living 
groves,  and  conspicuous  among  others  was  the  "  bride  of  the 
fish,"  which  is  celebrated  in  the  Arabian  fishing-song,  "  0 
bride,  lovely  bride  of  the  fish,  come  to  me."  Ever  and  anon 
on  my  voyage,  which  was  to  me  as  an  Odyssey,  did  I  delight 
to  catch  fragments  of  this  song,  as  it  was  dreamily  hummed 
by  the  man  at  the  stern  during  the  hot  midday  hour  when 
the  crew  had  sunk  into  slumber,  and  while,  noiselessly  and 
spirit-like,  our  vessel  glided  through  the  emerald  floods. 
The  enchantment,  as  of  a  fairy  tale,  of  these  waters  with  their 
myriad  living  forms  of  every  tint  and  shape,  defies  all  power 
of  description. 

Without  entering  the  town,  I  lost  no  time  in  putting  ofi'  to 
sea  in  my  little  Arab  craft.  At  first  we  made  little  headway, 
but  after  noon  a  fresh  breeze  came  from  the  north-east,  which 
continued  all  night,  so  that  by  the  following  morning,  after  a 
voyage  of  nearly  100  miles  in  twenty  hours,  we  slackened 
sail  under  the  mountains  which  I  had  previously  visited,  in 
lat.  21°  N.  The  Nubian  coast  was  almost  close  in  front  of 
as.  A  very  primitive  kind  of  compass  enabled  us  to  steer  to 
this  goal.  I  was  glad  to  find  that  no  water  had  reached  my 
baggage,  for  in  the  heavy  sea  the  boat  had  rolled  and  pitched 
considerably.  We  ran  along  the  coast,  and  each  familiar 
scene  revived  in  me  pleasant  memories  of  my  former  journey, 
which  had  been  unmarred  by*a  single  trouble.  Close  in 
view  was  Cape  Koway,  where  the  formation  of  a  lagoon  had 
developed  natural  salt-works,  from  which  is  obtained  the  salt 
for  the  consumption  at  Djidda,  and  for  export  to  India-  The 
salt,  however,  is  only  secured  during  the  eight  hottest 
months  of  the  year,  when  the  Red  Sea  is  reduced  to  its 


SUBMAMNE  MEADOW.  17 

lowest  level,  two  or  three  feet  below  its  altitude  in  the  winter. 
The  only  explanation  of  this  phenomenon  seems  to  be  the 
prevalent  direction  of  the  wind  taken  in  connection  with  the 
position  of  the  water.  The  bearings  of  the  sea  are  such  that 
the  wind  drives  the  waves  with  full  force  towards  the  Straits 
of  Mandeb,  the  narrowness  of  which  retards  the  outflow  of 
the  water  and  produces  an  immense  evaporation. 

The  flat  shore  between  the  mountains  and  the  sea  with  its 
coral  reefs  was  hidden  from  our  view.  A  green  carpet  of 
samphire  covered  the  coast  for  miles  along  the  land.  This 
botanically  may  be  represented  as  coming  under  the  genus 
Suseda,  the  name  of  which  is  imitated  from  the  Arab  "  sued," 
the  original  of  our  "  soda."  This  plant  has  long  been  turned 
to  a  profitable  account,  and  to  tliis  day  Arab  boats  may  be  seen 
about  the  coast,  engaged  in  the  procuring  and  preserving  of  it. 

Kising  directly  out  of  the  water  close  to  the  shore  grow  in 
patches  great  clusters  of  Avicennia,  so  abundant  in  tropical 
seas,  the  beautiful  laurel-leaf  of  which  forms  a  dazzling 
contrast  to  the  bare  brown  of  the  mainland. 

Over  considerable  tracts  at  the  depth  of  thirty  feet  the 
sea  bottom  resembles  a  submarine  meadow,  rich  with  every 
species  of  sea-grass:  in  these,  turtles  and  dujongs,  which  are  so 
numerous  in  this  part  of  the  Red  Sea,  find  their  pasture  land. 
It  must  be  a  very  protracted  business  for  these  cumbrous 
creatures  to  get  their  sustenance,  bit  by  bit,  from  these  tender 
leaflets ;  but  they  have  time  enough  and  nothing  else  to  do. 

The  little  islets  in  the  height  of  summer  are  the  resort  of 
flocks  of  water-birds  who  go  there  to  breed  undisturbed.  On 
one  of  these,  in  July  1864,  we  collected  over  2000  eggs  of  the 
tern,  although  the  dry  area  above  the  strand  consisted  of 
scarcely  so  many  square  feet.  At  the  approach  of  night  the 
wind  failed  us,  and  with  fluttering  sails  we  drifted  into  sight  of 
a  place  called  Durroor.  Two  antique  Turkish  guard-houses  of 
small  dimensions  gleamed  with  their  white  walls  far  across 
the  sea.    They  are  not  unlike  the  rough-walled  watch-towers 


18  THE  HEAET  OF  AFEICA. 

of  our  fortresses,  and  are  said  to  have  been  built  by  Selim  II. 
when  Yemen  was  subdued  ;  they  are  the  scanty  remains  of  a 
past  which  continues  to  the  present,  isolated  memorials  of  a 
barren,  inhospitable  coast,  where  all  is  changeless  as  the 
rolling  waves. 

I  shall  not  easily  forget  the  nights  which  I  passed  becalmed 
upon  that  sea.  Sleep  there  could  be  none.  Drenched  in 
perspiration,  one  could  only  sit  by  his  lamp  and  indulge  the 
hope  that  the  breeze  at  daybreak  might  be  somewhat  cooler. 
Air  and  sea  combined  to  form  an  interminable  mass  of 
vapour  through  which  the  moon  could  only  penetrate  with  a 
lurid  silvery  gleam.  One  bright  strip  alone  cleaves  itself  a 
way  over  the  silent  waves ;  it  stretches  towards  an  aperture 
in  the  horizon,  which  would  seem  to  be  the  origin  of  all  the 
brightness :  but  all  is  full  of  strange  illusion,  for  the  moon  is 
here  above  our  heads.  The  boat  floats  as  though  it  were  an 
aerial  vessel  in  a  globe  of  vapour ;  the  depth  of  the  sea, 
illumined  by  the  vertical  beams  of  the  moon,  is  like  another 
sky. beneath  us,  and  hosts  of  mysterious  beings,  diversified  in 
colour  and  confused  in  form,  are  moving  underneath  our  feet. 
The  calmness  of  the  air  and  the  unbroken  stillness  of  this 
spectral  nature  increased  the  magic  of  these  moonlight  nights. 

Late  in  the  evening  of  the  third  day  we  ran  into  the 
harbour  of  Suakin.  This  town,  formerly  held  directly 
subject  to  the  Turkish  power,  had  three  years  since,  together 
with  Massowa  and  the  adjacent  coast,  been  surrendered  to  the 
Viceroy  of  Egypt.  In  that  short  time  it  had  remarkably 
improved.  Formed  by  nature  to  serve  as  a  harbour  for  the 
Egyptian  Soudan,  and  even  for  Abyssinia,  the  place,  as  long 
as  its  administration  came  from  Arabia  and  Constantinople, 
could  inevitably  never  rise,  and  even  now  its  prosperity  is 
only  comparative.  The  Egyptian  Government  still  obstructs 
all  traffic  by  the  heavy  duties  which  it  levies  even  on  the 
natural  intercourse  with  Suez  ;  it  is  desirous  of  transferring 
its  interests  as  a  centre  to  Massowa,  watching  continually 


SUAKIN. 


19 


with  attentive  eyes  the  ungoverned  condition  of  Abyssinia. 
Since  the  traffic  on  the  Nile  by  way  of  Berber  ever  continues 
in  uninterrupted  activity,  and  this  place  lies  but  200  miles 
from  Suakin,  whilst  the  distance  between  Massowa  and 
Khartoom  is  twice  as  far,  why  any  preference  should  be 
given  to  Massowa  is  altogether  incomprehensible. 

I  was  now  visiting  Suakin  for  the  fourth  time,  and  the 
Governor  received  me  very  graciously  as  an  old  acquaintance. 
He  sent  immediately  for  some  camels,  which  I  required  for 
the  "continuation  of  my  journey.  He  himself  had  to  leave 
the  town  on  the  following  day  to  visit  his  summer  abode  in 
the  neighbouring  mountains.  There  still  remained  to  me 
four  months  before  commencing  my  real  journey  from  Khar- 
toom, as  the  voyage  up  the  White  Nile  could  not  begin  until 
December  or  January  ;  I  resolved  to  fill  up  the  interval  by  a 
tour  through  the  mountains  of  South  Nubia,  for  the  purpose 
of  accustoming  myself  to  the  heat  and  fatigue  of  a  harmless 
climate,  before  exposing  myself  to  the  fever  atmosphere  of 
Khartoom  and  the  Upper  Nile  districts.  Just  at  this  time 
of  year,  too,  the  valleys  between  the  Ked.  Sea  and  the  Nile 
promised  me  a  rich  booty,  and  I  hoped  to  obtain  a  remunera- 
tion for  any  toil  on  my  part  by  the  botanical  varieties  which 
were  to  be  looked  for  on  the  elevated  ridges.  I  could  not  do 
otherwise  than  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  escape  from  the 
glowing  oven  of  Suakin  towards  the  western  horizon,  where 
the  mountain-chains,  veiled  in  grey  vapour,  betrayed  the 
refreshing  rains  which  favoured  -the  district  and  rendered  it 
so  preferable  for  my  sojourn.  At  night  was  heard  the  roll 
of  distant  thunder,  and  the  darkness  was  broken  at  intervals 
by  flashes  of  lightning. 

On  the  10th  of  September  at  daybreak  all  was  ready. 
After  the  lapse  of  two  years  passed  in  tlie  domestic  comforts 
of  Europe,  it  is  not  altogether  easy  to  remount  the  "  ship  of 
the  desert."  Our  first  day's  march  was  through  a  trying 
country.    The  plain  indeed  was  uniformly  level,  but  for 


20 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


twelve  miles  it  was  covered  with  such  huge  black  boulders 
glowing  with  the  heat,  that  progress  was  very  difficult. 
After  we  had  proceeded  about  nine  miles  from  the  town,  we 
made  a  short  midday  halt  under  the  miserable  shade  of  some 
dry  acacias,  which  were  like  the  uncovered  skeletons  of 
parasols.  As  if  in  despair  they  stretched  their  leafless 
branches  towards  the  sky,  and  'seemed  to  implore  for  water. 
Exposed  here  in  a  leathern  pipe  to  the  wind,  our  drinking 
water  soon  cooled  down  to  a  temperature  about  18°  below 
the  surrounding  atmosphere. 

The  coast  plains,  although  practically  level,  evidently 
slope  Very  gradually  down  to  the  sea,  for  after  a  few  hours' 
march  the  town  is  seen  like  a  white  spot  far  below.  Beyond 
is  the  expanse  of  sea,  which  melts  into  the  horizon.  The 
coast-ridges  are  on  an  average  from  3000  to  4000  feet  high, 
but  occasionally  single  peaks  may  rise  to  an  altitude  of  5000 
feet.  At  one  time  they  appear  like  a  lofty  wall,  rising 
abruptly  from  the  slanting  plane ;  at  another  like  separate 
piles  of  rock  picturesquely  grouped  behind  and  over  one 
another.  Our  route  awhile  across  the  narrow  promontory 
now  lay  along  the  enclosure  of  a  valley  bounded  by  sloping 
walls  of  granite.  After  twelve  hours'  perseverance,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  following  day  we  reached  the  first  mountain 
pass,  about  3000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Infinitely  refreshing  was  it  to  ascend  at  every  step  higher 
into  the  mountain  atmosphere,  and  to  be  raised  above  the 
vapourous  heat  of  the  suffocating  shore.  There  seemed  a 
requickening  energy  in  every  breath  of  air,  as  gratefully  it 
circulated  on  the  heights.  The  real  charm  of  such  a  change 
could  not  be  appreciated  more  than  on  the  first  night  of 
camping-out.  Comfortably  stretched  upon  the  clean  smooth 
stones  which  form  the  valley,  the  weary  limbs  could  find 
repose ;  through  the  silent  night  the  stars  shed  a  bright  and 
kind  encouragement ;  there  was  an  aromatic  odour  floating 
refreshingly  around,  for,  impregnated  witli  camphor,  mint, 


NIGHT  ON  THE  MOUNTAINS.  21 

and  thyme,  the  air  was  laden  with  scents  which  the  stores  of 
the  perfumer  could  not  rival,  and  such  as  no  quarter  of  the 
globe  could  ^urpass.  The  plants  which  exhale  the  welcome 
aroma  are  little  obscure  mountain  weeds,  amongst  which  a 
"pulicaria"  plays  an  essential  part.  Noiselessly  and  like 
spectres  glided  the  camels  on  their  soft  feet  through  the 
valley,  rejoicing  in  the  pasture,  sweet  and  luscious  alter  the 
scanty  herbage  of  the  shore,  where  for  them  all  was  dearth 
and  salt  and  bitterness. 

Solemnity  reigned  throughout  nature  ;  no  discordant  cry 
of  mountain-  bird,  no  howling  beast  of  prey,  disturbed  the 
traveller :  there  was  only  the  delicate  song  of  the  desert 
cricket  to  lull  him  into  peaceful  slumber.  • 

The  mountains  between  Suakin  and  Singat  afford  a  habitat 
for  such  numbers  of  remarkable  plants  that  they  appear  for 
their  variety  alone  well  wortli  a  visit.  The  most  striking 
forms  which  arrest  the  attention  of  the  uninitiated  are  the 
I)rac8en8e  and  Euphorbise,  remarkable  as  both  are  for  their 
fantastic  shapes.  They  flourish  on  the  loftiest  heights,  but 
are  found  2000  feet  below  towards  the  valleys.  The  first 
belong  to  those  types  of  vegetation  which  (as  though  they 
had  been  carried  in  the  air  and  dropped  from  another  world) 
are  limited  to  extremely  narrow  sections  of  the  earth.  The 
first  dragon-trees  {dracsenm)  which  were  observed  in  the 
African  continent,  are  those  which  are  to  be  found  on  these 
mountains  alone,  and  even  here  only  over  an  area  of  a  few 
square  miles.*  The  Nubian  dracsense,  being  only  from  15  to 
20  feet  in  height,  are  dwarfish  in  comparison  with  their 
famous  sister  of  Orotava  in  Tenerifife,  but  in  other  respects 
there  are  only  minute  and  subtle  distinctions  between  them 
and  those  which  are  found  in  the  Canary  Isles.  In  the 
language  of  the  native  nomad  tribes  of  the  Hadendoa  and 


*  These  appear  to  belong  to  the  same  species  which  Wellsted  ('  Travels  to 
the  City  of  the  Caliphs,'  vol.  ii.  p.  286)  observed  on  the  island  of  Socoti  a  and 
Travels  in  Arabia,'  vol.  ii.  p.  449)  on  the  south  coast  of  Arabia. 


22 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFKICA. 


Bishareen,  the  dracsena  is  known  as  "To-Omba"  or 
"  T'Ombet."  The  leaves  afford  bast  for  cords,  the  long- 
flower  stalks  serve  in  June  as  excellent  food^for  camels, 
whilst  for  goats  they  are  almost  poison.* 

Another  remarkable  feature  of  this  mountain-district  is 
the  large  number  of  succulent  plants,  the  fantastic  forms  of 
which  here  appropriately  adorn  the  craggy  walls  of  the 
valley,  and  supply  a  needed  decoration  to  the  more  barren 
rocks  of  Southern  Nubia. 

In  Abyssinia  itself  neither  euphorbise  nor  aloes  are  ever 
found  at  an  altitude  of  less  than  4000  feet.  Here,  beside  the 
giant  Kolkwal,  they  are  found  much  lower  towards  the  valley. 
Four  smaller  kinds  of  the  same  species,  as  well  as  some 
remarkable  Stapelise  (which  resemble  the  cactus  type  of  the 
euphorbiae),  flourish  to  the  very  summit  of  the  mountains. 
Found  in  company  with  them  is  a  wild  unearthly-looking 
plant  called  the  Cara'ib  (Bucerosia),  of  which  the  branches 
are  like  wdngs,  prickly  and  jagged  round  the  edges  like  a 
dragon's  back.  They  produce  clusters  of  brown  flowers  as 
large  as  one's  fist,  which  exhale  a  noxious  and  revolting 
smell,  the  plants  themselves  being  swollen  with  a  white  and 
slimy  poisonous  juice. 

No  space  may  be  found  to  enumerate  all  the  varieties, 
but  I  must  mention  the  Seyleb  (Sanseviera),  whose  fleshy 
tender  leaves  provided  the  Nubian  nomad  with  the  ordinary 
material  for  the  cords  with  which  he  binds  their  burdens 
on  his  camels.  These  leaves  in  shape  are  not  unlike  the 
Nile  whips,  and  on  that  account  may  readily  recall  and  stir 
up  painful  memories  to  the  poor  Nubian  of  the  kurbatch  of 
the  Turks,  whenever  he  may  chance  to  see  them.  So  richly 
burdened  are  the  hanging  rocks  with  the  varieties  of  rarest 


*  Tlie  accompanying  plate  gives  a  faithful  representation  of  the  stiff  forms 
of  thi'  dracJBnse,  surrounded  by  the  still  more  rigid  complications  of  rocks  in 
the  height  of  the  pass.  In  the  illustration,  besides  the  dracsena,  may  be  seen 
the  Kolkwal-euphorbiai,  and  ip.  the  right  hand  corner  the  Cara'ib. 


THE  LASSAV.  23 


plants;  so  large  and  multiform  is  the  exhibition  of  scarce 
and  novel  succulents — that  the  greatest  enthusiast  could 
hardly  fail  to  be  bewildered.  As  a  most  interesting  develop- 
ment of  structural  peculiarity,  the  Lassav,  one  of  the  Cap- 
parids,  demands  some  notice.  It  produces  flowers  which 
take  a  form  quite  unique.    A  drawing  taken  from  nature 


The  Lassav  (_Capparis  galeata). 
(Illustration  two-thirds  of  natural  size.) 


shows  the  strange  deformity  of  the  petals,  a  double  cluster 
of  which  is  attached  to  the  one  broad  sepal,  so  as  to  produce 
the  effect  of  two  handkerchiefs  in  one  pocket. 

This  rich  coverino:  of  vecjetation  is,  however,  confined  to 
the  side  of  the  mountains  towards  the  sea ;  on  the  other 
side,  as  soon  as  the  second  pass  is  left  behind,  the  rocks  are 


24: 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


bare,  and  only  the  lowest  part  of  the  valley  is  covered  with 
anything  of  luxuriant  verdure.  Acacias,  growing  so  closely 
as  almost  to  form  a  hedge,  and  gigantic  clumps  of  the  grass- 
green  Salvadora,  shoot  up  ]ike  great  dishes  of  green  salad 
from  the  cheerless  space  around.  The  moistening  vapour  of 
the  sea  does  not  reach  here  to  clothe  the  parched  and  naked 
rock.  Such  were  the  valleys  through  which  on  the  morning 
of  the  third  day  we  passed  on  to  complete  the  first  stage  of 
our  wanderings.  Towards  midday,  after  marching  for  nine- 
teen hours,  we  had  reached  Singat,  the  summer  retreat  of 
the  town  Bedouins  of  Suakin. 

The  valley  of  Singat  is  about  a  league  in  breadth.  It  is 
enclosed  by  two  lofty  mountain  chains  running  parallel  to  the 
coast,  apparently  joined  by  a  number  of  projecting  spurs. 
On  the  broad  sandy  bed  of  the  valley  were  erected  scarcely 
less  than  500  of  those  Bedouin  tents,  of  which  the  shape,  in 
their  drooping  folds,  may  be  compared  to  what  we  see  in  the 
breast  of  a  roasted  fowl.  Here,  at  least  a  quarter  of  the  popu- 
lation of  the  town,  which  reckons  3000  souls,  passes  the 
season  of  refreshing  rains.  Later,  when  the  mountain  valleys 
are  again  dry  and  destitute  of  pasture,  these  transient  habita- 
tions are  carried  back  again  ;  and  the  camels  and  goats  must 
find  their  pasturage  on  the  slopes  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town, 
which  are  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  damp  sea  air. 

Here,  at  his  usual  resort,  I  met  Muntass  Bey,  the  Governor 
of  Suakin.  His  residence  consisted  of  a  Sammor-acacia,  with 
foliage  wide-spreading  like  a  parasol.  Under  the  shadow  of 
this  commodious  and  airy  roof,  common  to  all,  was  served 
the  midday  meal.  Some  tents  in  the  immediate  proximity 
were  provided  as  places  of  refuge  from  the  rain.  A  storm 
of  unusual  violence  broke  over  us  in  the  course  of  the  day, 
and  changed  the  centre  of  the  valley  into  a  foaming  torrent, 
200  paces  wide,  for  three  hours  ;  the  flood  rushed  onwards 
with  unabated  strength  and  sought  the  sea.  I  found  shelter 
in  a  guard-room  built  of  blocks  of  stone  and  clay,  the  quarters 


SUMMER  RETREATS. 


25 


of  the  garrison  of  200  Bazibozuks.  After  the  rain  the  tempe- 
rature was.  lowered  to  a  refreshing  coolness,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing morning  I  rejoiced  to  register  a  temperature  of  68°  F. 

Whilst  I  stayed  in  Singat,  I  always  at  dinner-time  found 
an  open  table  beneath  the  Governor's  great  tree.  This  was 
rendered  enjoyable  not  more  by  the  skill  of  the  cook  than 
by  the  harmony  of  the  Egyptian  singers,  whom  the  Bey  had 
in  his  suite.  The  camels,  which  I  had  hired  in  Suakin,  were 
meanwhile  sent  away  to  the  pastures  in  the  neighbouring 
valleys,  to  be  recruited  against  their  approaching  fatigues. 
The  camel  drivers  were  by  no  means  in  a  hurry  to  start,  as 
time  was  not  of  the  smallest  value  to  them.  A  trip  of  five 
days  in  the  lofty  mountains  of  Erkoweet,  eight  or  ten  leagues 
to  the  south-east  of  Singat,  unclosed  to  my  I'esearches  the 
vegetable  treasures  of  this  most  northerly  spur  of  the  Abys- 
sinian highland,  hitherto  unexplored ;  and  was  full  of  enjoy- 
ment, equally  beneficial  both  to  mind  and  body. 

Erkoweet  is  another  summer  retreat  for  the  people  of 
Suakin.  The  valley  in  which  the  tents  are  pitched  is  called 
Harrasa,  and  discloses  tJie  whole  flora  of  the  Abyssinian 
highland  in  wonderful  and  complete  luxuriance.  Euphorbise 
and  dracsense  deck  the  mountains  in  masses  which  might 
almost  be  reckoned  by  millions,  so  that  the  slopes  in  the 
distance  have  the  appearance  of  being  covered  with  huge 
black  patches.  From  amongst  innumerable  projections  oi 
granite,  mostly  dome-shaped  and  adorned  with  charming 
foliage,  there  juts  forth  one  huge  slanting  mass  of  mountain, 
which  is  probably  the  highest  elevation  of  the  district  of 
Suakin,  if  not  of  the  entire  chain  which  runs  along  the  coast. 
I  ascended  this  peak  nearly  6000  feet  in  altitude,  and  was 
amply  repaid  for  the  exertion  by  the  magnificent  prospect 
before  me.  There  was  extreme  enjoyment  in  the  freshness 
of  the  air.  The  whole  contour  of  the  coast  lay  stretched  in 
clear  and  perfect  outline.  The  whole  confused  system  of  the 
mountains  of  the  coast  lay  like  a  map  below  my  feet.    In  a 


26  THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 

circumference  of  seventy  miles  I  plainly  recognised  single 
masses,  so  that  the  peaks  known  to  me  in  my  earlier  visits 
served  as  landmarks  to  inform  me  of  my  true  position. 

As  the  result  of  several  favourable  meteorological  com- 
binations, there  exists  in  these  loftier  elevations  a  more 
luxuriant  development  of  vegetation  than  in  any  of  the 
neighbouring  mountain  districts  of  South  Nubia,  which  have 
a  lower  altitude.  This  is  illustrated  very  plainly  by  the 
clusters  of  beard-moss  {TJsnea)  which  hang  on  every  twig  and 
branch,  by  the  abundance  of  sulphur-coloured  lichens  on 
every  mass  of  rock,  and  likewise  by  the  formation  of  nume- 
rous luxuriant  beds  of  moss.  Mosses  are  generally  deficient 
alike  in  Egypt  proper  and  in  Nubia,  and  are  scarcely  seen 
in  the  trenches  and  clefts  of  the  Nile  valley  ;  their  existence 
is  dependent  on  a  minimum  of  moisture  throughout  the 
year,  which  is  there  but  rarely  reached. 

At  Erkoweet  I  found  again  the  wild  olive  tree,  which  I 
had  already  discovered  some  years  previously  on  the  moun- 
tains by  the  Elbe.  I  noticed  that  it  assumes  the  same  low 
bushy  shape  here,  and  bears  the  same  box-like  foliage,  as  it 
does  on  the  coast  ridges  of  the  Mediterranean;  when  the 
two  are  compared  they  exhibit  a  general  identity,  so  that  I 
conclude  the  African  and  European  are  of  the  same  family. 
The  olive  tree,  it  is  well  known,  is  reckoned,  like  the  fig 
tree,  as  originally  a  product  of  the  frontiers  of  Asia;  in 
remote  antiquity,  it  was  reverenced  by  Semitic  nations,  and 
cultivated  until  it  bore  a  rich  produce.  This  type  of  vegeta- 
tion fails  completely  in  the  interior  of  the  continent.  In  the 
time  of  Homer  the  olive  grew  wild  on  the  islands  of  the 
Grecian  Archipelago,  and  it  is  still  to  be  met  with,  though 
in  an  altered  condition,  on  the  coasts  of  Syria ;  but  here  on 
the  Ked  Sea  it  has  remained  unchanged  for  thousands  of 
years,  and  the  famous  classical  tree  of  myth  and  song  is 
still  undisturbed  in  the  dreams  of  its  youth. 

A  bare  boulder-flat  of  black  hornblende  stones,  extending 


WATPm-COURSES. 


27 


several  miles,  divides  the  mountains  of  Erkoweet  from  those 
which  bound  the  valley  of  Singat  on  the  east.  The  broad 
water-courses  which  run  between,  show  what  must  be  the 
prodigious  volume  and  violence  of  the  currents  which  occa- 
sionally rush  downwards  to  the  sea.  These  deep  water- 
courses are,  however,  only  periodically  filled,  and  then  only 
for  a  few.  hours,  in  the  course  of  the  year,  so  that  for  some 
months  they  are  adapted  for  the  cultivation  of  corn.  Not- 
withstandingj  there  was  here  but  a  very  limited  cultivation 
of  sorghum,  the  Arabian  durra,  since  there  is  a  difficulty  in 
securing  labour.  The  idle  nomads  have  no  disposition  for 
agricultural  employment,  although  famine  in  dry  seasons, 
when  the  flocks  can  nowhere  find  sufficient  pasture,  brings 
back  its  recurring  calamity.  In  the  year  before  my  last 
visit,  in  the  valleys  about  Singat  alone,  seventy  men  had 
died  literally  of  hunger,  after  vainly  endeavouring  for  weeks 
to  subsist  upon  wild  purslane. 

All  water-courses,  with  a  supply  of  moist  soil  upon  the 
ground  just  sufficient  for  a  few  months,  although  they  are 
not  enclosed  by  heights  like  valleys,  are  comprehended 
within  the  Arab  designation-  "  el  wady."  Cheerless  through 
the  dry  season,  after  the  first  rain  their  level  sand  flats  are 
clothed  with  the  most  luxuriant  flora  ;  fresh  springing  grasses 
put  forth  their  little  cushion  points,  and  give  the  sward  the 
appearance  of  being  dotted  with  a  myriad  spikes ;  then 
quickly  come  the  sprouting  blades,  and  all  is  like  a  waving 
field  of  corn.  Halfway  between  Singat  and  Erkoweet  we 
halted  in  a  wady  of  this  character,  which  bore  the  name  of 
Sarroweet.  What  a  prospect!  how  gay  with  its  variety  of 
hue,  green  and  red  and  yellow !  Nothing  could  be  more 
pleasant  than  the  shade  of  the  acacia,  nothing  more  striking 
than  the  abundance  of  bloom  of  the  Abyssinian  aloe,  trans- 
forming the  dreary  sand-beds  into  smiling  gardens.  Green 
were  the  tabbes-grass  and  the  acacias,  yellow  and  red  were 
the  aloes,  and  in  such  crowded  masses,  that  I  was  involuntarily 


28 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


reminded  of  the  splendour  of  the  tulip  beds  of  the  Nether- 
lands ;  but  here  gardens  lay  in  the  midst  of  a  waste  of 
gloomy  black  stone.  One  special  charm  of  a  desert  journey 
is  that  it  is  full  of  contrasts,  that  it  brings  close  together 
dearth  and  plenty,  death  and  life ;  it  opens  the  eyes  of  the 
traveller  to  the  minutest  benefits  of  nature,  and  demonstrates 
how  every  enjoyment  is  allied  to  a  corresponding  deprivation. 
Richly  laden  with  treasures  I  returned  to  Singat,  where  I 
remained  until  the  21st  of  September,  and  during  ray  stay 
I  had  once  again  repeated  opportunities  of  studying  my  old 
friends  the  people  of  Suakin  in  their  domestic  relations. 

The  coast  lands  on  both  sides  of  the  Red  Sea  offer  a 
striking  likeness  to  each  other,  which  does  not  consist  in 
physical  resemblances  alone.  The  people  are  the  same  in 
feeling  and  in  manners,  however  much  the  true  Ethiopians, 
such  as  the  Bishareen,  Hadendoa,  and  Beni-Ammer,  may 
differ  in  language  and  descent  from  the  true  Arabs ;  I  say 
from  the  true  Arabs,  because  the  term  Arab  has  been  at 
times  too  indiscriminately  applied,  and  ought  to  be  limited 
to  the  nomads  in  Arabia,  as  distinguished  from  the  settlers. 
On  both  coasts  the  inhabitants  follow  the  same  character  of 
life.  They  are  people  of  the  deserts,  wandering  shepherds, 
and  procure  whatever  corn  they  may  require  from  external 
sources.  Even  the  town  life  pf  the  Arabs  is  essentially  half 
a  camp  life.  As  a  collateral  illustration  of  this  I  may  remark 
that  to  this  day  in  Malta,  where  an  Arab  colony  has  reached 
as  high  a  degree  of  civilisation  as  ever  yet  it  has  attained, 
the  small  towns,  which  are  inhabited  by  this  active  little 
community,  are  called  by  the  very  same  designations  as  else- 
where belong  to  the  nomad  encampments  in  the  desert. 
Half  Suakin  is  like  a  desert  camp,  and  for  this  reason  I  have 
called  its  inhabitants  town  Bedouins. 

These  town  Bedouins  are  people  whose  only  distinction 
from  the  Bedouins  of  the  mountains  is  that  their  dress  almost 
always  is  of  a  spotless  whiie ;  the  true  sons  of  the  desert,  in 


TOWN  BEDOUINS. 


29 


consequence  of  their  continual  camp  life,  have  long  toned 
down  the  colour  of  their  single  garment,  never  washed,  to  a 
brownish-grey,  quite  in  harmony  with  the  general  hue  of  the 
surrounding  country.  Many  very  beautiful  faces,  perfectly 
regular  in  feature,  are  to  be  found  amongst  these  swarthy 
Bedouins,  whilst  a  wonderful  dignity  and  elegance  mark 
their  movements.  Like  the  inhabitants  of  Hedjas  and  Yemen 
they  chew  tobacco,  and  find  recreation  in  various  amusements 
which  are  unknown  to  the  mountain  Bedouins.  All  alike, 
however,  have  in  common  the  same  single  aim  of  existence : 
to  do  as  little  as  possible,  to  sleep  much,  to  drink  goats' 
milk,  to  eat  sheep's  flesh,  and  finally  to  scrape  together  all 
the  Maria  Theresa  dollars  that  they  .  can ;  the  latter  is  a 
matter  of  some  difficulty,  on  account  of  their  natural  idle- 
ness. Black  female  slaves  instead  of  asses,  which  in  Suakin 
would  cost  too  much  to  feed,  are  indispensable  to  them  for 
carrying  water  from  the  well  to  the  town.  Whoever  pos- 
sesses fifty  dollars  in  his  bag  and  has  one  slave  besides  his 
water-bearer,  is  quite  a  magnate,  and  spends  much  labour 
in  the  profuse  adornment  of  his  hair.  When  he  is  not  sleep- 
ing, that  is  to  say,*  in  the  cool  hours  of  the  morning  and 
evening,  he  takes  his  walk,  always  bareheaded  and  with 
high-towering  locks,  here  and  there  on  the  road  joining  in 
a  conversation  or  conferring  the  favours  of  his  weighty 
counsel.  When  it  becomes  too  hot  in  Suakin,  and  the  goats 
give  no  more  milk,  after  the  last  weed  has  been  devoured, 
and  the  last  tundup  (sodada)  eaten  to  the  roots  by  the  camels, 
they  leave  the  cob-webbed  thorn  hedges  of  their  farms,  pack 
together  the  acacia-rods  and  date-mats,  the  materials  of  the 
tent,  and  withdraw  to  the  mountain  pastures,  which  they 
retain  by  ancestral  right.  After  them  follow  the  Turkish 
soldiers,  who  roam  through  the  valleys,  switching  their  kur- 
batch,  and  proceed  to  collect  the  taxes  levied  in  proportion 
to  the  number  of  cattle.    The  services  of  these  officials  in 

return  are  enlisted  to  re-capture  any  camel  stealers  who 
Vol.1.— 4 


30 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


may  be  seeking  to  escape  to  the  remote  solitudes  of  the 
mountains. 

On  the  21st  of  September  I  resumed  my  journey  towards 
the  Nile,  a  further  distance  of  175  miles.  On  the  way 
my  little  party,  which,  besides  the  camel  drivers,  consisted 
of  only  a  native  of  Berber  and  a  dog  which  I  had  brought 
from  Europe,  was  increased  by  falling  in  with  two  young 
pilgrims  on  their  way  from  Mecca.  I  was  unable  to  com- 
plete my  proper  retinue  until  I  should  reach  Khartoom,  since 
the  men  who  had  offered  me  their  services  in  Egypt  appeared 
so  weakly  that  I  considered  them  unfit  for  undertaking  any 
journey  into  Central  Africa.  The  addition  therefore  of 
these  two  blacks  for  the  approaching  march  of  sixteen 
days  through  mountain  solitudes  was  very  welcome.  Their 
armour  consisted  of  a  Turkish  sabre,  and  this,  together  with 
my  gun,  seemed  completely  sufficient  protection  against  the 
natives,  whom  Sir  Samuel  Baker  a  few  years  before  had  so 
successfully  mastered  with  the  help  of  an  umbrella,  that  a 
considerable  number  of  them  voluntarily  laid  down  their 
arms.  The  vigilance  of  the  dog  was  a  security  against  any 
nocturnal  attack,  and  indeed,  at  two  different  times  he  had 
given  warning  to  my  little  caravan  just  at  the  right  time. 

Less  welcome  to  me  was  the  company  of  a  disagreeable 
old  fanatic,  who,  followed  by  two  wives,  was  on  his  return 
journey  from  the  Holy  City  of  the  East  to  his  home  in  the 
far  west.  He  was  a  priest  from  Kano  in  Haussa,  and  when 
he  told  of  the  wonders  of  the  world  which  he  had  seen  on 
his  long  journeys,  I  could  always  set  him  right,  having  really 
seen  infinitely  more  than  he  had.  I  completely  non-plussed 
him  by  my  geographical  knowledge  of  the  Western  Soudan, 
and  after  the  details  which  I  gave  of  that  country,  he  was, 
however  reluctantly,  at  last  obliged  to  believe  that  I  had 
actually  been  there.  But  any  friendship  between  us  was 
rendered  impossible  by  the  constant  noise  and  contention 
caused  by  his  wives.    All  amicable  relations  came  utterly 


RIVAL  WIVES. 


31 


to  an  end  when  I  found  myself  driven  as  I  did  to  come  for- 
ward as  the  champion  of  the  oppressed.  Of  the  priest's  two 
wives,  one  had  faithfully  followed  her  husband  from  his 
home,  and  now  saw  herself  supplanted  by  the  other,  whom 
the  priest  had  married  at  the  tomb  of  the  Prophet.  The 
fellow  had  begun  to  impose  on  his  first  wife  in  the  most 
shameful  manner  by  the  withdrawal  of  every  choice  morsel 
and  of  every  harmless  indulgence ;  consequently  the  two 
women  were  continually  quarrelling,  and  literally  laid  on  to 
each  other  by  the  hair.  The  man  himself  always  took  the 
part  of  the  new  wife,  and  cruelly  maltreated  tlie  old.  At 
last  it  became  too  much  for  me  to  be  the  daily  witness  of 
such  revolting  scenes,  and  I  took  the  old  sinner  to  task,  and 
tried  to  inculcate  in  him  due  ideas  of  woman's  rights  and 
dignity,  so  that  he  could  tell  his  countrymen  in  Haussa  what 
we  thought  on  such  matters.  The  indifferent  camel  drivers 
and  the  still  more  indifferent  camels,  both  alike  as  unmoved 
as  the  black  rocks  in  their  solemn  stateliness,  eelone  surveyed 
this  little  tragedy.  Whoever  has  to  travel  through  deserts 
should  endeavour  to  be  free  from  such  rabble  and  useless 
retinue.  A  large  company  is  troublesome  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  shade,  since  there  is  not  always  time  at  the 
halting- places  to  pitch  a  tent,  and  one  must  avail  himself  of 
the  few  larger  trees  which  exist  in  the  valleys. 

A  stiff  ascent  of  the  road  at  a  short  distance  from  Singat 
led  westwards  to  the  water-shed  between  the  Nile  and  the 
Eed  Sea.  The  elevated  pass  is  rather  to  the  rear  of  the 
defiles  on  the  8uakin  side.  We  then  descended  to  a  very 
broad  wady  full  of  pasture,  called  0-Mareg,  which  was  a  third 
summer  retreat  for  the  natives  of  Suakin.  In  the  middle  of 
a  green  valley,  two  miles  broad,  some  fifty  tents  were 
erected,  all  under  the  surveillance  of  a  Turkish  captain  with 
some  soldiers  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  Government, 
Great  herds  of  camels,  cows,  sheep,  and  goats,  and  amongst 
them  several  hundreds  of  asses,  were  grazing  in  every 


32  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

direction.  The  Wady  0-Mareg  does  not  form,  as  might  be 
expected,  a  tributary  of  the  great  mountain-river  Langeb, 
which  at  its  recurring  period  joins  the  Barka,  but  takes  its 
course  direct  to  the  Atbara,  as  do  all  the  larger  water- 
courses of  the  ensuing  road. 

In  consequence  of  the  repeated  storms  of  rain,  at  the  time 
of  my  journey  there  was  water  in  nearly  all  the  valleys, 
and  everywhere  there  was  abundance  of  pasture  for  the 
camels.  The  drivers  accordingly  chose  a  more  direct  road 
running  to  the  south  of  the  ordinary  route  of  the  caravans. 
This  enablefl  me  to  fill  up  my  map  with  many  new  details. 
As  a  general  rule  the  drivers  followed  the  rule  of  never,  il 
possible,  encountering  the  native  shepherds  on  the  road. 
Although  they  were  of  the  same  race,  they  feared  the  con- 
flicts which  were  frequently  unavoidable  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  any  wells.  I  was  not  surprised  at  their  timidity,  as 
I  had  myself  experienced  some  difficulty  in  my  former  tour. 

Having  crossed  the  third  chain,  we  reached  the  great 
wady  Amet,  which  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Mount 
0-Kurr,  a  colossal  mass  visible  as  a  landmark  in  the  west  for 
a  whole  day's  journey.  The  predominating  rocks  are  green- 
stone in  several  varieties,,  although  beautiful  serpentine  is  far 
.  from  infrequent.  In  one  part  of  the  valley  rises  a  homo- 
geneous mass  of  splendid  porphyry  nearly  1000  feet  in  height, 
brilliantly  marked  on  its  surface  with  veins  of  Indian  red. 
From  the  prevalence  in  these  mountains  of  greenstone, 
which  no  doubt  often  contains  a  grass-green  stratum,  the 
conclusion  must  not  be  drawn  that  green  is  at  all  a  prevailing 
colour  of  the  walls  of  rock.  This  is  by  no  means  the  case  ; 
indeed,  nearly  all  kinds  of  rock,  however  diverse  they  may 
appear  when  broken,  are  covered  externally  with  an  uniform 
dark  brown,  which  obliterates  all  distinctive  shades.  In 
its  interior  the  greenstone  is  unpolished  and  of  bright 
colour.  A  superficial  accretion,  the  cause  of  which  remains 
hitherto  unexplained,  forms  itself  pn  every  fragment  and 


BISHAREEN  GOATS  AND  SHEEP. 


33 


gives  a  coating  about  a  millimeter  thick,  in  colour  not  unlike 
a  bright  brown  cake  of  chocolate. 

In  Wady  Amet  we  lighted  upon  some  sorghum-fields, 
which  seem  to  have  been  planted  out,  like  those  at  0-Mareg 
and  Erkoweet,  by  way  of  experiment ;  but  in  reality  they 
here  represented  the  whole  exertions  of  the  idle  inhabitants 
of  the  desert.  Some  primitive  huts,  heaped  up  in  Cyclopean 
rudeness,  bore  witness  to  the  stability  of  this  rendezvous  of 
.native  shepherds. "  We  were  here  amply  provided  with  milk 
and  meat,  goats  and  sheep  being  alike  abundant  in  the 
neighbouring  valleys.  Camel -breeding  is  not  carried  on 
here  so  much  as  in  the  northern  parts  of  Etbai,  as  the  whole 
district  of  the  Bishareen  between  the  Nile  and  the  sea  is 
called;  the  breeders  avoiding  the  proximity  of  the  great 
roads  through  fear  of  the  foraging  and  reprisals  of  the 
military. 

The  goats  of  the  country  form  a  small  race  of  their  own 
and  belong  to  the  comprehensive  variety  which  is  called  the 
Ethiopian.  Differing  from  those  of  the  Nile  valley,  they 
are  again  found  among  all  the  nomad  people  in  the  interior ; 
the  goats  of  the  Dinka  being  a  larger  kind  of  the  same 
character.  The  Ethiopian  goat  may  be  reckoned  among  the 
most  agile  and  elegant  of  the  race,  and  it  might  be  called 
the  climbing  goat,  since  it  prefers  to  feed  on  the  young 
shoots  of  the  acacia,  and  for  that  purpose  often  climbs  up  the 
slanting  stems  or  low-growing  branches.  A  large  flock 
occasionally  groups  itself  round  a  tree  with  pendant  branches : 
in  that  case,  the  animals  are  rarely  seen  in  any  other  position 
than  standing  upright  on  their  hind  legs,  and  give  at  a  distance 
an  impression  that  they  must  be  a  crowd  of  men.  Others 
may  be  observed  in  grotesque  attitudes,  with  legs  straddling, 
hanging  in  mid-air,  and  weighing  down  the  boughs  of  an 
acacia. 

The  Bishareen  keep  larger  flocks  of  sheep  than  of  goats ; 
the  breed  is  very  peculiar,  marked  by  distinctions  which 


34 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


might  almost  constitute  a  nationality.  The  Etbai  race  is 
closely  allied  to  the  thick-tailed  species  in  all  general  charac- 
teristics, but  distinguished  by  the  lissome  condition  of  its 
long  and  bushy  tail.  Tlie  fleece  is  hardly  worthy  of  being 
called  wool  at  all,  for  it  simply  consists  of  rather  long 
straight  hair.  Almost  all  are  perfectly  white,  except  (and 
this  is  the  chief  mark  of  distinction  in  the  species)  on  the 
ancles  and  mouth,  which  are  covered  with  black  hair.  The 
usual  price  in  the  country  for  such  sheep  never  exceeds  a 
Maria  Theresa  dollar  (four  shillings),  whilst  young  lambs 


A  Bishareen  Sheep. 


cost  but  half  this  sum.  Cattle  are  found  only  in  the 
environs  of  Suakin  and  on  the  road  to  Taka,  lying  further 
south  than  the  one  on  which  we  travelled.  On  the  route 
which  we  took,  in  consequence  of  the  smaller  rainfall,  the 
pasture  necessary  for  their  maintenance  is  not  permanent 
throughout  the  year,  like  it  is  in  the  lands  adjacent  to  the 
Barka  basin.  In  the  next  district  we  crossed  a  high  level, 
intersected  by  numerous  water-courses  deeply  worn  amidst 
the  stones  and  rubble.  The  most  considerable  of  all  these 
water-courses  penodically  flowing  to  the  south-west,  was  the 


SCHWEINFURTHIA. 


35 


Wady  Arab.  The  dry  bed  of  this  was  bounded  by  shelving 
banks  from  40  to  50  feet  in  height,  and  the  ascent  was 
steep  enough  to  demand  no  small  exertion  from  our  laden 
camels.  ^ 

Here  grew  in  great  abundance  the  plant,  a  species  of 
Scrophulariacese,  to  which  ray  own  name  had  been  assigned 
{Schweinfurthia  ^terosj^erma).  It  met  me  as  a  greeting  from 
my  distant  home.  In  itself  it  is  but  an  insignificant  little 
weed,  but  upoii  its  discovery,  Alexander  Braun,  the  cele- 
brated professor  of  the  University  of  Berlin,  had  named  it  in 
my  honour — a  little  token  of  remembrance,  which,  according 
to  the  tribute  of  Linnaeus,  may  be  more  lasting  than  any 
memorial  in  brass  or  marble. 

A  hollow,  as  of  a  saddle-seat,  between  the  mountains  led 
us  over  the  chain,  unbroken  by  a  pass,  of  the  fourth  of  the 
parallel  mountain  ridges  which,  with  many  branches^  traverse 
this  part  of  Africa.  To  the  right  on  the  north  we  left 
Mount  Wowinte  and  the  peak  of  Badab  in  which  it  culmi- 
nates at  an  altitude  of  5000  feet.  The  road  then  descended 
into  the  wide  plain  spreading  to  the  west  of  this  height, 
where  a  magnificent  panorama  opened  to  the  view.  Next 
we  reached  the  Wady  Habohb,  a  watercourse  of  which  the 
breadth  was  about  400  feet.  Proceeding  across  Wady 
Kokreb,  two  miles  wide,  we  arrived  at  length  at  the  equally 
wide  Wady  Yumga.  By  this  time  we  were  on  the  next  line 
of  the  mountain  range,  in  which  is  situated  the  much  fre- 
quented well  of  Eoway,  a  rendezvous  for  all  the  nomads  .who 
wander  in  the  neighbouring  localities.  Here,  by  order  of  the 
great  Sheikh  of  the  Hadendoa,  a  tribute,  sanctioned  by  the 
Egyptian  Government,  is  levied  on  every  caravan  that 
passes. 

My  lazy  camel  drivers  used  every  available  opportunity  to 
prolong  the  duration  of  the  journey.  For  my  part  I  was 
indifferent  to  this,  as  I  had  time  at  my  disposal,  and  my 
enjoyment  of  the  flora  fully  occupied  me ;  my  companions, 


36 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


however,  were  not  so  patient.  They  longed  for  theii 
cherished  Nile  to  put  an  end  to  this  camp-life  in  dreary 
deserts.  At  length  even  my  own  forbearance  was  exhausted ; 
the  excuses  became  intolerable :  at  one  time  the  camels  had 
run  away,  at  another  they  wanted  food,  so  that  it  grew  up  to 
a  regular  fight  between  us  four  and  the  dozen  Bedouins  who 
were  conducting  us.  Some  sticks,  the  single  Turkish  sabre, 
and  an  indestructible  pipe  tube,  which  I  swung  in  my  hand, 
were  our  only  weapons,  but  they  sufficed  to  turn  the  victory 
to  our  side.  My  tube  smashed  a  number  of  patriarchal 
shepherd  staves,  and  thus  an  end  was  put  to  the  eternal 
halts  and  feeds,  and  we  went  on  towards  the  west  at  a  better 
pace.  I  thought  of  the  proverb  that  the  European  in  India 
either  learns  patience  or  loses  it. 

As  we  followed  the  Wady  Laemeb  with  the  water  of  its 
channel  now  replaced  by  verdure,  we  come  to  0-Fik,  the  last 
mountain  on  the  route,  beyond  which  a  desert,  unrefreshed 
by  a  single  spring,  extends  as  far  as  the  Nile  valley.  .The 
last  well  was  that  of  0-Baek.  We  lighted  here  upon 
some  Bishareen  families,  who  were  staying  temporarily  with 
their  flocks  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  well,  and  were  ac- 
customed after  the  first  rain  to  sow  a  considerable  piece  of 
ground  with  sorghum.  Amongst  the  men  may  be  observed 
expressive  features,  well  developed,  unlike  ours,  yet  less 
unlike  them  than  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  Nile  valley. 
But  more  frightful  creatures  than  the  women  of  these 
noniads  there  surely  cannot  be  on  earth.  Of  course  I  speak 
only  of  those  who"  have  passed  the  spring-time  of  their  life. 
They  are  lean  beyond  all  conception,  and  as  haggard  as  their 
goats  would  be  if  shorn  of  their  hair,  which  alone  gives  any 
roundness  to  their  gaunt  frames.  There  is  nothing  about 
tliem  even  of  that  natural  delicacy  of  many  savages  which 
makes  the  children  of  the  desert  appear  like  the  gazelle, 
which  is  clean,  though  it  never  bathes.  Physically  and 
morally  they  are  loathsome ;  toothless,  mangy,  inquisitive, 


MONUMENT  OF  NATURE. 


37 


and  chattering ;  in  a  word,  they  are  the  very  incorporation 
of  the  infirmities  of  senility. 

From  this  place  it  required  an  energetic  march  of  twenty 
leagues  to  reach  the  first  well  on  the  confines  of  the  Nile- 
valley.  The  road,  now  formed  by  numerous  pathways 
running  closely  side  by  side  like  cattle-ruts,  crossed  a  great 
boulder  fiat  in  a  W.S.W.  direction.  The  pack-camels  pro- 
ceeded side  by  side  in  phalanx,  as  upon  the  open  lands  they 
rarely  march  in  single  file.  There  were  sandy  watercourses 
ever  and  again  intersecting  our  way,  and  groups  of  hills 
meeting  the  eye  in  the  horizon. 

On  leaving  0-Baek  we  had  next  to  traverse  the  plains 
extending  to  the  west  of  the  wells ;  fortned  of  the  finest 


Aboo-Odfa. 

quicksand,  blown  up  into  hills  often  as  high  as  a  house,  these 
sands  were  a  considerable  impediment  to  the  camels.  From 
the  dreary  waste  of  the  plain  with  its  loose  black  rocks, 
jutted  up  a  solitary  block  of  granite,  to  which  the  Bedouins 
give  the  suggestive  name  of  "Eremit."    An  hour's  journey 


38 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


further  on  there  appeared,  ahove  the  plain  by  the  right  of 
the  road,  another  isolated  mass  of  granite,  one  of  those 
landmarks  visible  from  afar,  which,  after  the  weariness 
of  the  desert  journey,  is  ever  greeted  gratefully  by  the  eye  of 
the  long-tried  traveller.  It  is  a  natural  stone  obelisk,  35  feet 
high,  in  its  singular  shape  resembling  an  inverted  pear  or  fig. 
The  block  is  narrow  at  the  base,  and  evidently  in  the  course 
of  time  has  been  worn  away  by  the  action  of  the  sand  as  it 
has  been  driven  by  the  wind.*  This  monument,  the  unhewn 
production  of  nature  itself,  is  called  by  the  natives  Aboo-Odfa, 
Odfa  being  the  name  of  a  saddle  covered  with  a  canopy  which 
is  used  for  women  on  the  camel.  Smaller  blocks  of  similar 
conformation  are  not  unfrequently  met  with  at  other  parts  of 
the  road. 

On  the  grassy  bottom  of  Aboo-Kolod,  where,  in  consequence 
of  the  late  rain,  great  pools  had  formed  themselves,  we  made 
our  last  night  camp  but  one.  The  slopes  had  all  the  charac- 
teristics of  being  on  the  level  of  the  Nile  at  Berber,  whilst 
the  remainder  of  the  road  again  ascends.  The  last  wady  is 
Aboo-Selem  ;  it  was  at  that  time  one  unbroken  sorghum-field, 
its  fruitful  soil  was  already  cultivated  by  the  industrious 
inhabitants  of  the  Nile  valley,  although  the  recurrence  of  the 
rain  would  permit  the  culture  only  at  intervals.  At  length 
on  the  7th  of  October  we  entered  the  town  of  Berber.  With- 
out loss  of  time  I  found  a  boat  on  which  to  continue  my 
journey  to  Khartoom. 

Whilst  I  encamped  at  Berber,  pending  my  embarkation  on 
the  Nile,  I  had  been  unconsciously  put  into  a  position  of 
some  jeopardy.  The  native  of  Dongola  who  accompanied 
me  as  my  servant,  in  order  to  find  the  safest  place  he  could 
to  secure  the  prohibited  wares  of  a  Greek  merchant  from  the 
eyes  of  the  police,'  had,  without  my  knowledge,  concealed 
under  my  tent  a  considerable  quantity  of  gunpowder  and 


*  The  sketch  on  the  preceding  page  is  taken  carefully  from  nature. 


HOSPITALITY. 


39 


other  explosive  materials.  Whilst  the  fellow  was  away  on 
a  visit  to  town,  I  had  unsuspiciously  kindled  a  fire  on  the 
loose  sandy  soil,  in  order  to  perform  my  cooking  operations, 
little  dreaming  of  the  peril  whi(^h  happily  I  escaped. 

My  old  acquaintance,  M.  Lafargue,  who  was  settled  in 
Berber  as  a  merchant  and  presided  over  the  French  Vice- 
consulate,  himself  an  experienced  traveller  on  the  Upper 
Nile,  received  me  with  that  hearty  hospitality  which  many 
other  desert  wanderers  have  proved  besides  myself.  Sir 
Samuel  Baker  aptly  compares  such  receptions  to  the  oasis  in 
the  desert.  No  necessity  of  letters  of  introduction  here  as 
with  us  in  Europe ;  no  hollow  forms  of  speech,  exchanging 
courtesies  which  perchance  mean  the  very  reverse ;  no  empty 
compliment  of  at  best  a  tedious  dinner ;  but  here  in 
Egypt  the  people  receive  us  with  free  and  genial  amiability, 
all  Europeans  are  fellow  citizens  and  everything  is  true  and 
hearty.  "  What  pleases  me  the  most  is  the  ease  with  which 
you  travel  in  this  country ;  you  come,  }'ou  go,  you  return 
again,  as  though  it  were  a  walk."  Such  were  M.  Lafargue's 
cordial  words  to  me.  We  parted  well  pleased  with  one 
another :  I  shall  not  see  him  again. 

About  the  last  part  of  the  journey  to  Khartoom,  which 
embraces  the  passage  up  the  Nile,  and  which  is  sufficiently 
well  known  by  the  descriptions  of  other  travellers.  have 
nothing  new  to  relate.  By  the  complete  failure  of  wind, 
much  of  this  portion  of  my  journey  was  so  exceptionally  pro- 
longed, that  it  took  sixteen  days  to  accomplish  the  whole. 
For  the  first  part  of  the  voyage,  as  far  as  Shendy  and 
Matamma,  the  only  considerable  towns  in  this  district,  the 
shore  offered  nothing  attractive.  It  reminded  me  of  the 
Egyptian  valley  of  the  Nile  only  in  two  places;  the  mouth 
of  the  Atbara,  and  one  spot  where  the  renowned  pyramids  of 
Meroe  formed  a  noble  background. 

Matamma  is  a  populous  town,  but  extremely  slow  and 
dull.    The  buildings,  constructed  of  Nile  earth,  are  insigni- 


40  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

ficant  in  themselves,  and  irregularly  crowded  together  in  a 
mass  like  huge  ant-hills ;  not  a  single  tree  affords  its  shade 
to  the  dreary  streets,  which  are  filthy  with  dirt. 

The  ennui  and  the  calm  which  obliged  us  to  lay  to  here, 
suggested  all  sorts  of  unprofitable  vagaries  to  my  servant 
Arbab.  He  received  from  me  part  of  his  wages,  and  took  a 
wife  on  the  spot  from  amongst  the  circle  of  his  kinsfolk. 
The  bride,  .two  days  afterwards,  was  given  back  to  herself 
and  her  relations,  to  await  indefinitely,  for  a  year  and  a  day, 
the  expected  return  of  her  husband.  Arbab  had  already 
been  several  times  married  in  Khartoom ;  and  at  every 
return  he  repeated  the  same  usual,  one  may  almost  say,  the 
becoming  custom. 

The  second  half  of  the  Nile  voyage  was,  however,  rich  in 
the  charms  of  scenery.  This  is  especially  applicable  to  the 
views  afforded  by  the  river  islands.  These  islands  are  so 
many  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  sixth  cataract, 
between  the  island  of  Marnad  and  the  lofty  mountain-island 
of  Eowyan,  that  no  one  pretends  to  know  their  precise 
number,  and  the  sailors  call  them,  in  consequence,  the 
ninety-nine  islands.  This  excursion  offers  to  the  traveller 
a  most  attractive  prospect,  and  the  landscapes  an  shore 
afford  a  treat  which  no  other  river  voyage  could  surpass. 
Splendid  groups  of  acacias,  in  three  varieties,  with  groves  of 
the  holy-thorn,  overgrown  by  the  hanging  foliage  of  graceful 
climbers,  made  the  profusion  of  islands  set  in  the  surface  of 
the  water  appear  like  bright-green  luxuriant  and  gay  tangles. 
Wildly  romantic,  on  the  contrary,  reminding  one  of  the 
Binger-loch,  are  the  valley-straits  of  Sablook,  where  the 
Nile,  narrowed  to  a  small  mountain  stream,  flows  between 
high  bare  granite  walls  which  rise  some  hundred  "feet. 

So  much  the  more  surprising  appeared  the  breadth  which 
the  Nile  exhibits  above  this  cataract,  where  it  displays  itself 
in  a  majesty  which  it  has  long  lost  in  Egypt.  Below  their 
confluence,  the  waters  of  the  Blue  and  the  White  Nile  are 


PITIABLE  CONDITION  OF  NUBIANS.  41 


distinctly  visible  many  miles  apart.  It  is  highly  probable 
that  at  certain  times  the  level  of  the  streams  might  show  a 
difference  of  several  feet ;  the  proposed  establishment  of  a 
Kilometer  should  therefore  take  place  below  the  confluence, 
in  order  that  with  the  help  of  the  telegraph  accurate  intelli- 
gence of  its  condition  might  be  remitted  to  Cairo. 

In  the  Nubian  Nile-valley  all  charm  is  gone.  Extremely 
wretched  is  the  aspect  of  the  country,  and  equally  pitiable 
are  its  present  social  conditions.  In  the  course  of  the  last 
ten  years,  as  a  consequence,  first,  of  the  increased  taxation, 
and  secondly,  of  the  diminished  production,  matters  have 
continually  become  worse  and  worse.  To  the  cursory  glance 
of  a  traveller  only  a  small  proportion  of  this  deep-rooted 
misery  may  be  disclosed  ;  he  may  perceive  the  consequences, 
without  being  able  to  assign  the  reasons ;  and  from  the  con- 
tradictory statements  of  the  inhabitants,  he  can  hardly  form 
a  clear  idea  of  the  real  condition  of  the  country.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  complaints  of  the  people  give  him  an  incom- 
plete representation  of  the  circumstances,  unless  he  at  the 
same  time  takes  notice  of  the  objections  which  the  Govern- 
ment appears  justified  in  raising  against  them.  Only  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  country  combined  with  local 
study  would  put  him  in  a  position  to  form  an  opinion.  In 
spite  of  everything,  the  fact  remains  that  the  culture  of  the 
soil  is  declining,  that  scarcity  is  everywhere  on  the  increase, 
and  that  distress  is  consequently  more  frequent.  In  the 
last  two  months  of  this  year's  harvest,  the  market  price  of  a 
rup*  of  sorghum-corn  had  risen  to  a  Maria  Theresa  dollar. 
Three  years  before,  large  villages  had  been  pointed  out  to 
me,  lying  completely  deserted  on  account  of  the  emigration 
of  the  inhabitants,  and  now  again  similar  evidence  of  distress 
was  forced  upon  my  notice.    In  the  district  between  Darner 


*  The  rup  is  a  measure  equal  in  weight  to  seven  and  a  half  litres,  or  about 
five  oka,  and  containing  under  two  English  gallons. 


42 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


and  Shendy,  the  population  seemed  utterly  scared  at  tlie 
increasing  emigrations.  The  unmarried  men  go  to  Khartoom 
in  order  to  be  enlisted  as  so-called  soldiers  by  the  merchants 
on  the  Upper  Nile.  The  elder  people,  on  the  other  hand, 
leave  their  culture,  and  with  a  few  sheep  or  goats  endeavour 
to  lead  a  meagre  nomad  life  as  shepherds  in  the  steppes  and 
deserts. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  at  midday,  we  at  last  reached 
Khartoom,  and  landed  on  the  bank,  which  was  all  alive  with 
hundreds  of  boats.  The  German  Yice-consul,  Herr  Duisberg, 
who  had  shown  me  so  much  kindness  at  the  time  of  my 
former  visit,  again  received  me  most  hospitably.  In  his 
elegant  and  commodious  house,  I  had  every  opportunity  for 
rest  and  refreshment  in  anticipation  of  my  coming  labours. 


CHAPTEE  II. 


Kind  reception  in  Khartoom.  Dyafer  Pasha,  the  Governor-General.  Con- 
tract with  Ghattas.  Herr  W.  Duisberg.  Ivory  trade  at  Khartoom. 
Khartoom  possessions  in  the  negro  countries.  Departure  from  Khartoom. 
Manning  of  the  boat.  Construction  of  the  Khartoom  boats.  First  night 
on  the  White  Nile.  Character  of  the  landscape.  Washing  away  of 
the  east  bank.  Fertility  of  the  country  on  the  west.  Acacia  forests. 
Herds  of  the  Hassanieh.  Numerous  hippopotamuses.  Geese  and  ducks. 
Beginning  of  the  wilderness.  The  Ambatch-wood.  First  day  of  ill-luck. 
Kunning  over  a  wild  buflfalo.  Baggara  Arabs.  Brethren  in  the  faith. 
The  mountain  Nyemati.  Evening  gossip  about  pygmies.  Native  Egyptian 
cultivated  plants.  Buffalos  alarming  the  Baggara.  Mohammed  Kher, 
the  robber  chief.  Impressions  on  the  first  sight  of  savages.  Boat  attacked 
by  bees.  Frightful  agony.  Gadflies.  Giant  snails.  A  man  carries  three 
canoes.  Kepair  of  the  sail-yard.  Fashoda  the  most  southern  military 
station.  Fifteen  Shillooks  at  a  shot.  Gay  temperament  of  the  people. 
Gun  accidents.    African  giant  snakes. 

In  Egypt,  in  well-informed  circles,  it  was  a  current  opinion 
that  the  Grovernment  was  trying,  on  principle,  to  throw 
impediments  in  the  way  of  any  explorers  who  might  purpose 
penetrating  the  district  of  the  Upper  Nile.  It  was  supposed 
that  they  were  desirous  of  preventing  the  circulation,  by 
eye-witnesses,  of  adverse  reports,  and  of  keeping  back  from 
the  eyes  of  the  world  any  undesirable  details  as  to  the 
position  of  matters  with  reference  to  the  slave  trade.  They 
were  unwilling  to  let  it  be  seen  that  their  influence  over  the 
people  of  Khartoom  was  insufficient  for  the  suppression  of 
the  slave  traffic  amongst  them.  Under  this  impression  I 
entered  upon  my  journey  with  some  misgiving,  entertaining- 
no  very  sanguine  hopes  as  to  the  real  utility  of  the  order 
delivered  to  me  for  the  Governor-General  of  Khartoom,  who 


i 


44 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


at  that  time  was  administering  affairs  Avith  considerable 
vigour  in  all  the  provinces  of  the  Soudan  under  the 
Egyptian  dominion  above  the  first  cataract. 

So  much  the  more  grateful,  therefore,  was  my  surprise 
when,  immediately  after  my  arrival  in  Khartoom,  I  was 
honoured  by  a  visit  from  the  powerful  Dyafer  Pasha,  and, 
after  the  first  few  words,  satisfied  myself  that  there  was  a 
reasonable  expectation  that,  on  this  occasion,  the  local 
government  would  do  all  within  their  power  to  secure  the 
most  complete  protection  to  a  scientific  expedition. 

My  letter  of  recommendation  from  the  Academy  was 
afterwards  read  in  the  Grovernment  divan.  It  was  fluently 
translated,  sentence  by  sentence,  into  Arabic  by  the 
physician  in  ordinary,  and  the  Pasha  at  once  declared  that 
he  would  be  the  Vokil,  that  is  to  say,  the  manager  of  affairs, 
for  the  Academy  of  Berlin,  and  promised  that  he  would  not 
fail  to  afford  me  the  necessary  assistance  for  my  journey. 
How  faithfully  he  kept  his  word  is  well  known,  and  on  that 
account  the  thanks  of  the  Academy  of  Science  were  formally 
presented  to  him.  Dyafer  had  been  an  old  captain  of  a 
frigate  in  the  stirring  times  of  Mohammed  Ali;  he  was  a 
man  of  considerable  attainments,  and  had  already  become 
known  to  me  on  the  occasion  of  my  first  journey,  when  he 
acted  as  Governor  of  Upper  Egypt.  In  his  house  were  seen 
piles  of  atlases  and  anatomical  plates ;  he  was  not  wanting 
in  a  clear  comprehension  of,  nor  indeed  in  an  actual  interest 
in,  my  undertaking.  He  expressed  his  hope  that  my  journey 
might  accomplish  its  aim,  and  if  anything  of  material  benefit 
should  be  discovered  that  it  might  not  be  reserved,  but 
freely  communicated  to  the  State.  I  assured  him  that  the 
Koyal  Academy  had  no  narrow  views,  and  that  he  might  b^^ 
certain  that  although  I  trusted  by  prosecuting  science  to 
gain  credit  for  myself,  I  should  not  overlook  anything  that 
might  be  honourable  to  him,  or  for  the  advantage  of  his 
Government.    The  Pasha  seemed  gratified  by  my  reply,  and 


PKELIMINARY  COVENANTS. 


45 


referred  me  to  the  writers,  who  were  to  settle  the  various 
covenants  of  my  agreement  with  an  ivory  trader,  Ghattas,  a 
Coptic  Christian.  The  Governor-General  himself  had 
arranged  the  terms,  and  I  could  find  little  in  their  tenor 
that  would  be  adverse  to  my  interests. 

Besides  Ghattas,  there  were  several  other  merchants  in 
Khartoom,  who  possessed  large  settlements  in  the  district  of 
the  Upper  Nile,  but  he  alone  amongst  them  was  not  a 
Mahommedan ;  the  others  were,  for  the  most  part,  true 
Osmanlis,  whose  reputation,  with  respect  to  slave  dealing,  did 
not  stand  too  high.  Thus  the  choice  of  the  administrator  fell 
upon  the  unlucky  Ghattas,  who,  being  also  the  richest  of  all, 
was  required  to  become  surety  against  any  misadventure  that 
might  occur  to  the  traveller  in  the  interior.  If  he  were 
betrayed  to  the  cannibals,  or  if  he  were  left  in  the  lurch 
among  savages  and  cut-throats,  so  much  the  better  for  the 
treasury  of  the  Government,  who  would  have  the  most 
legitimate  reasons  for  proceeding  to  the  confiscation  of  his 
estates. 

I  should  fail  to  discharge  a  duty  of  gratitude  if  I  were  to 
omit  to  acknowledge  the  interest  displayed  in  behalf  of  my 
enterprise  by  Herr  Duisberg,  who  was  at  that  time  Vice- 
consul  of  the  North  German  Confederation  in  Khartoom. 
Not  only  did  he  entertain  me  most  hospitably  for  several 
weeks  in  his  house,  but  likewise  exerted  all  his  influence  on 
his  friends  the  ivory-traders,  so  as  to  dispose  them  favourably 
to  my  undertaking,  and  to  relieve  them  from  any  fear  of 
interference  on  my  part  with  their  affairs. 

Notwithstanding  any  prejudice  which  might  attach  to  him 

as  the  leader  of  the  Protestant  mission,  the  Vice-consul  had 

gained  the  esteem  of  all  parties  in  Khartoom,  and  was 

especially  in  'favour  with  the  Governor-General,  who  very 

thoroughly   appreciated  his  integrity.     His  conciliating 

manners  availed  to  satisfy  the  Khartoom  merchants  that  my 

plan  was  not  adverse  to  their  interests.    Hitherto  they  had 
Vol.  I— 5 


I 


46 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


looked  upon  every  scientific  traveller  as  a  dangerous  spy, 
whose  visit  only  aimed  at  denouncing  their  transactions  on 
the  Upper  Nile,  and  reporting  them  to  the  Consul-General 
in  Egypt.  On  this  occasion  they  consented  to  meet  me  at  a 
sumptuous  entertainment  given  by  Herr  Duisberg  before  my 
departure.  All  the  gentry  of  the  town,  Pashas  and  Beys, 
glittering  with  their  stars  and  orders,  and  merchants,  in  their 
gorgeous  satin  robes,  gathered  together  at  that  feast  of  recon- 
ciliation between  the  representatives  of  African  commerce 
and  of  European  science. 

The  entire  ivory  trade  of  Khartoom  is  in  the  hands  of  six 
larger  merchants,  with  whom  are  associated  a  dozen  more 
whose  business  is  on  a  smaller  scale.  For  years  the  annual 
export  of  ivory  has  not  exceeded  the  value  of  500,000  Maria 
Theresa  dollars.  There  has  been  a  continual  decrease  in 
the  yield  of  ivory  from  the  territory  adjacent  to  the  river,  so 
that  last  year,  even  that  sum  would  not  have  been  main- 
tained, unless  the  expeditions  had,  season  after  season,  been 
penetrating  deeper  into  the  more  remote  districts  of  the 
interior.  It  is  a  fallacy  to  suppose  that  the  pursuit  of 
elephants  is  merely  a  secondary  consideration  in  these  enter- 
prises of  the  Khartoom  merchants,  or  that  it  only  serves  as  a 
cloke  to  disguise  the  far  more  lucrative  slave  trade.  These 
two  occupation's  have  far  less  to  do  with  one  another  than  is 
frequently  supposed.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  high  value 
of  ivory,  the  countries  about  the  sources  of  the  Nile  would 
even  now  be  as  little  unfolded  to  us  as  the  equatorial  centre 
of  the  great  continent :  they  are  regions  which  of  themselves 
could  produce  absolutely  nothing  to  remunerate  transport. 
The  settlements  owe  their  original  existence  to  the  ivory 
trade;  but  it  must,  on  the  other  hand,  be  admitted  that 
these  settlements  in  various  ways  have  facilitated  the  opera- 
tions of  the  regular  slave-traders.  Without  these  depots  the 
professional  slave-traders  could  never  have  penetrated  so  far, 
whilst  now  they  are  enabled  to  pour  themselves  into  the 


MEECHANT  SERIBAS. 


47 


negro  countries  annually  by  thousands,  on  the  roads  over 
Kordofan  and  Darfur. 

The  merchants  of  Khartoom,  to  whom  I  have  alluded, 
maintain  a  great  number  of  settlements  in  districts  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  present  ivory  countries,  and  among  peaceful 
races  devoted  to  agriculture.  They  have  apportioned  the 
territory  amongst  themselves,  and  have  brought  the  natives 
to  a  condition  of  vassalage.  Under  the  protection  of  an 
armed  guard  procured  from  Khartoom,  they  have  established 
various  depots,  undertaken  expeditions  into  the  interior,  and 
secured  an  unmolested  transit  to  and  fro.  These  depots  for 
ivory,  ammunition,  barter-goods,  and  means  of  subsistence, 
are  villages  surrounded  by  palisades,  and  are  called  Seribas.* 
Every  Khartoom  merchant,  in  the  different  districts  where 
he  maintains  his  settlements,  is  represented  by  a  super- 
intendent and  a  number  of  subordinate  agents.  These 
agents  command  the  armed  men  of  the  country,  determine 
what  products  the  subjected  natives  must  pay  by  way  of 
impost  to  support  the  guards,  as  well  as  the  number  of 
bearers  they  must  furnish  for  the  distant  exploring  expedi- 
tions ;  they  appoint  and  displace  the  local  managers ;  carry 
on  war  or  strike  alliances  with  the  chiefs  of  the  ivory  coun- 
tries, and  once  a  year  remit  the  collected  stores  to  Khartoom. 

Both  the  principal  districts  of  the  Khartoom  ivory  trade 
are  accessible  by  the  navigation  of  the  two  source-affluents 
together  forming  the  White  Nile,  viz.  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal 
and  the  Bahr-el-Gebel.  The  name  Bahr-el-Abiad  is  under- 
stood in  Khartoom  to  include  the  entire  domain  of  the  Nile 
and  its  affluents  above  this  town,  but  in  its  true  and  more 
limited  sense  it  signifies  only  the  united  mainstream  as  far 
as  the  mouth  of  the  Sobat,  "  White  Nile."  Two  less  impor- 
tant centres  are  approached  by  the  channels  of  the  Sobat  and 

*  In  the  Soudan,  every  thorn-hedge,  or  palisade,  is  called  a  Seriba ;  in 
Syria,  also,  the  cane-hedges,  for  the  enclosing  of  cattle,  are  termed  Sirb,  or 
Sereebe. 


I 


48 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFEICA. 


the  Giraffe.  The  landing-places,  called  Meshera,  are  in  all 
cases  at  a  distance  of  some  days'  journey  from  the  depots. 
The  trade  winds  and  the  rainy  seasons  both  have  their  effect 
^  in  determining  the  time  of  year  in  which  progress  can  be 
made.  They  render  the  passage  up  stream  practicable  only 
from  December  to  January,  and  limit  the  valley  journey  to 
June,  July,  and  August.  On  the  Bahr-el-Gebel  the  extreme 
point  of  navigation  is  the  well-known  Gondokoro  in  lat  5°  N._, 
the  termination  of  a  series  of  voyages  of  discovery.  On  the 
Bahr-el-Ghazal  a  kind  of  cui-de-sac  leads  to"  the  only  existing 
Meshera.  Beyond  tliis,  the  Khartootia  people  have  already 
advanced  5°  in  a  southerly,  as  well  as  in  a  westerly  direction. 
In  the  district  of  the  Gazelle  Eiver,  the  Niam-niam  coun- 
tries form  a  great  source  of  the  ivory-produce ;  of  the  ways 
which  were  available,  this  was  the  direction  which  appeared 
to  promise  the  best  opening  for  the  prosecution  of  my  object. 
Accordingly,  I  determined  to  proceed  by  the  Gazelle,  and 
concluded  my  contract  with  the  Coptic  Ghattas.  He  engaged 
to  supply  the  means  of  subsistence,  and  to  furnish  me  with 
bearers  and  an  adequate  number  of  armed  men.  He  also 
placed  at  my  disposal  a  boat  for  the  journey,  and  it  was 
expressly  stipulated  that  I  should  be  at  liberty  to  join  all  the 
enterprises  and  excursions  of  his  own  people. 

The  Governor-General  laid  similar  obligations  for  my  pro- 
tection on  all  the  other  chief  merchants  who  had  possessions 
in  the  territory  of  the  Gazelle.  Duplicates  of  all  the  agree- 
ments were  prepared ;  one  copy  being  retained  by  me,  the 
counterparts  were  deposited  with  the  local  government  at 
Khartoom.  After  these  necessary  provisions  for  my  security 
had  been  adjusted,  there  was  nothing  now  to  hinder  me  from 
commencing  my  real  journey.  Never  before  had  the  Egyptian 
Government  done  so  much  indirectly  to  co-operate  with  a 
scientific  traveller ;  and  it  was  with  no  little  satisfaction  that 
I  regarded  my  budget  of  documents,  which  would  unlock  for 
me  so  considerable  a  section  of  Central  Africa. 


EMBAKKATION  ON  THE  WHITE  NH.E. 


49 


In  order  to  have  continually  about  me  a  number  of  people 
upon  whose  fidelity  and  attachment  I  might  fairly  rely  under 
all  circumstances,  I  took  into  my  service  six  Nubians,  who 
had  settl6d  in  Khartoom  with  their  wives  and  children,*  and 
who  resided  there,  and  had  already  travelled  in  different 
parts  of  the  Upper  Nile.  All  had  previously  served  under 
other  Europeans.  Kiharn,  the  cook,  had  accompanied  the 
Consul  Petherick  on  his  ill-fated  journey  of  1863.  Their 
conduct  in  no  way  disappointed  me,  and  I  had  never  any 
serious  cause  of  complaint  against  any  of  them. 

At  last,  all  preparations  had  so  far  prospered  that  the 
journey  to  the  Gazelle  Eiver  might  be  commenced  on  the 
5th  of  January  1869.  A  little  concession  had,  however,  to 
be  made  to  the  superstitious  representations  of  the  Khartoom 
people.  Wednesday  and  Saturday,  as  days  of  ill-omen,  were 
excluded  from  the  times  of  departure.  Somehow  or  other 
this  introduced  a  parley  which  entailed  a  little  delay.  Pro- 
testations, I  knew,  availed  but  little,  and  my  common  sense 
suggested  unconditional  submission  to  the  custom  of  the 
country.  Not  simply  was  it  impossible  to  convince  the 
people  of  the  absurdity  of  any  superstition  of  theirs,  but  what 
was  of  more  moment,  they  would  be  sure,  on  the  very  first 
occasion  of  any  mischance,  to  attribute  it  to  the  perverseness 
of  the  Frank.  They  would  have  looked  idly  and  helplessly 
on  if  I  had  persisted  in  carrying  out  my  will  in  opposition  to 
the  decrees  of  fate. 

On  board  our  little  vessel  we  altogether  counted  thirty- 
two,  a  number  small  in  comparison  with  that  in  the  other 
boats.  The  total  number,  however,  did  not  admit  of  much 
reduction.  No  boat's  crew  alone  could  suffice  to  overcome 
the  obstacles  which  were  to  be  expected  in  the  waters 
further  up  the  country. 

The  merchant  Ghattas,  to  whom  the  boat  belonged,  had 
manned  it  with  eight  boatmen,  and  had  also  put  on  board 
fifteen  hired  men  to  serve,  partly  as  a  protection  against  any 


50 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


attacks,  and  partly  to  assist  in  towing  the  boats.  The 
soldiers,  as  they  were  called,  were  for  the  most  part  young, 
and  were  originally  inhabitants  of  the  valley  of  the  Upper 
Nil4,  between  Berber  and  Khartoom,  but  from  whence  they 
had  been  driven  to  escape  on  account  of  the  heavy  taxation. 
Since  agriculture  hardly  kept  them  from  misery  and  starva- 
tion, they  preferred  to  hire  themselves  out  as  robbers,  slave- 
hunters,  cattle-stealers,  or  whatever  could  enable  them  to 
gratify  the  innate  propensity  for  adventure  which  belongs 
to  every  Nubian.  Besides  the  six  Nubians  engaged  in 
Khartoom,  my  own  retinue  included  two  women  slaves,  whose 
hand  labour  supplied  the  want  of  mills ;  their  office,  per- 
formed by  means  of  stones,  was  to  convert  our  corn  into  the 
flour  requisite  for  the  maintenance  of  the  crew.  We  were 
packed  closely  enough ;  cramped  up,  we  appeared  like  cattle 
in  a  pen,  yet  our  accommodation  was  comparatively  spacious. 
Other  boats  I  saw  of  which  the  dimensions  were  hardly 
larger  than  our  own,  and  which  were  made  to  carry  some- 
times sixty,  sometimes  eighty  human  beings.  But  even  this 
was  a  trifling  repletion  as  compared  with  th-e  boats  we  met, 
and  which,  in  a  hold  of  not  more  than  fifty  tons,  often  stowed 
away  200  slaves.  The  crew  squat  like  hens  on  shelves  out- 
stretched upon  deck  between  mast  and  mast ;  and  in  order 
to  afford  the  soldiers  rest  by  night,  the  vessels  lie-to  when- 
ever the  shore  is  safe.  . 

A  rough  wooden  partition  erected  at  the  stern  of  the  bulky 
vessel  was  assigned  to  me  as  my  special  berth.  I  had  arranged 
it  as  well  as  I  could,  and  sat  there  surrounded,  in  charming 
confusion,  by  baggage  and  trunks,  and  the  thousand  articles 
which  made  up  my  equipment.  The  boats  which  are  used 
upon  the  upper  waters  of  the  Nile  are  called  "  negger ; " 
their  construction,  I  believe,  is  unlike  what  can  be  seen  in 
any  other  country  of  the  world.  They  are  as  strong  as  they 
are  massive,  being  built  so  as  to  withstand  the  violent  push- 
ings  of  the  hippopotamuses,  as  well  as  the  collisions  with 


SHIP-BUILDING  AT  KHARTOOM. 


.51 


the  mussel  banks,  which  are  scattered  in  various  directions. 
I  am  certain  that  one  of  these  boats  at  any  maritime  exhibi- 
tion would  attract  the  attention  of  all  who  take  any  interest 
in  such  things.  I  am  not  aware  that  there  is  anything 
accurate  to  be  found  in  any  history,  of  travel  on  this  subject, 
and  it  may  be  permitted  me  therefore  to  insert  a  few  par- 
ticulars of  the  Khartoom  ship-building. 

There  can  be  no  question  that  the  ship-building  on  the 
Eed  Sea,  ji^st  like  the  architecture  of  the  towns  along  its 
coast,  is  of  Indian  origin,  all  the  timber  required  in  Arabia 
being  procured  from  India.  At  Khartoom,  on  the  contrary, 
this  art,  although  in  many  respects  it  has  peculiarities  of  its 
own,  has  been  derived  from  an  Egyptian  source.  Taking 
their  own  special  requirements  into  account,  the  boat-builders 
of  Egypt  have  completely  altered  the  structure  and  shape  of 
their  river  boats.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  recur- 
ring cataracts,  which  interrupt  the  navigation  of  the  Nubian 
Nile  valley,  rendered  any  ascent  of  the  river  a  matter  of 
difficulty,  demanding  indeed  the  most  strenuous  exertions. 
The  cataracts  are  ten  in  number,  and  only  recently  have 
they  been  overcome  by  some  small  steam  vessels  of  about 
60-horse  power.  The  only  wood  which  is  used  in  Khartoom 
for  ship-building  is  that  of  the  Sunt  acacia  (A.  niloHea), 
which,  though  far  heavier  and  harder  than  our  oak,  is  the 
only  wood  which  the  soil  of  the  Soudan  supplies,  which 
appears  capable  of  being  sawn  into  planks.  But  on  account 
of  the  irregular  texture  and  numerous  branches  of  the  trunk 
of  this  acacia,  it  is  impossible  to  cut  it  into  boards  more  than 
ten  feet  in  length,  and  even  these  are  rare.  Masts  and 
sail-yards,  since  those  of  deal  seldom  reach  Khartoom,  and 
then  are  of  an  exorbitant  price,  must  be  made  by  splicing 
together  a  number  of  small  pieces.  Externally  these  are 
bound  with  ox  hide ;  but  in  violent  gales  they  are  extremely 
liable  to  start.  Not  only  does  the  wood  fail  to  be  either 
straight  or  long,  it  is  also  so  hard,  that  it  requires  to  be 


52 


THE  HEART  OP  AFRICA. 


sawn  while  it  is  green.  The  saw  is  an  instrument  so  rarely 
employed  throughout  Nubia,  that  it  is  handled  most  unskil- 
fully by  the  carpenters ;  as  matter  of  course,  there  are 
neither  steam-mills  nor  water-mills  in  Khartoom,  and  con- 
sequently the  planks  are  cut  without  the  faintest  pretence 
to  regularity. 

All  these  defects  are,  however,  cancelled  by  the  unex- 
ampled toughness  and  indestructible  nature  of  the  wood ; 
it  might  fairly  be  asked  from  what  other  material  could 
boats  60  feet  long  and  20  feet  broad  be  constructed  with- 
out ribs  or  braces.  The  sides  of  the  boat  are  a  foot 
thick,  and  are  formed  of  layers  of  different  lengths,  which 
acquire  stability  and  firmness  from  their  own  support.  An 
empty  boat,  seen  from  inside,  has  somewhat  the  appearance 
of  an  elongated  shell  of  half  a  hazel-nut.  The  planks,  where 
they  overlap  or  are  dove-tailed  together,  are  fastened  by  iron 
nails  driven  in  perpendicularly,  the  necessary  holes  being 
bored  from  the  outer  to  the  inner  surfaces  in  such  a  way 
that  the  same  nail  holds  together  two,  or  occasionally  more, 
thicknesses  of  wood.  In  this  manner,  with  much  trouble 
and  more  measuring,  is  obtained  the  proper  curvature  of  the 
hull,  which,  as  a  whole,  is  marked  by  a  complete  symmetry. 
The  cost  of  the  stout  iron  nails,  and  the  rapid  wear  of  axe 
and  saw,  make  the  expenses  of  building  these  boats  so  con- 
siderable that  they  amount  to  five  times  as  much  as  oak 
vessels  of  the  same  size  in  Europe.  A  mast  about  20  feet 
high  bears  the  giant-yard  of  the  single  lateen  sail,  which  is 
generally  half  as  long  again  as  the  boat. 

Amid  the  farewell  salutations  of  a  large  concourse,  among 
which  my  people  counted  numerous  friends  and  relations, 
we  pushed  off  from  the  shore.  Without  delay  we  took  our 
onward  course  to  the  mouth  of  the  Blue  Nile,  doubling  the 
Kas-el-Khartoom,  that  large  promontory,  which  resembles  in 
form  the  snout  of  an  animal ;  it  gives  its  name  to  the  town, 
and  is  the  partition  land  between  the  two  arms  of  the  Nile. 


NIGHT  ON  THE  RIVER. 


53 


Bulky  and  ponderous  as  was  our  boat,  the  power  of  the 
north  wind  laid  its  hold  upon  our  giant-sail,  and  carried  us 
with  the  speed  of  steam  towards  the  south.  On  the  fore- 
noon of  the  following  day  we  found  ourselves  already  1° 
below  the  latitude  of  Khartoom.  We  sailed,  without  staying 
our  course,  through  the  night,  which  was  cheered  by  the 
moonlight.  I  was  sleepless  with  excitement  at  finding  my- 
self at  last  brought  irrevocably  to  the  attainment  of  my 
cherished  hopes.  The  universal  quiet  was  only  broken  by 
the  rush  of  the  bilge-water,  and  now  and  then  by  the  cry 
of  the  water-birds.  Shrouded  like  mummies  in  their  white 
garments  lay  the  crew,  closely  packed  upon  the  narrow 
deck ;  and  altogether  there  was  something  spectral  in  the 
stillness  of  the  nocturnal  voyage. 

As  the  morning  sun  fell  upon  the  low  monotonous  shores 
of  the  flowing  river,  it  seemed  at  times  almost  as  though  it 
were  illuminating  the  ocean,  so  vast  was  the  extent  of  water 
where  the  current  ran  for  any  distance  in  a  straight  and 
unwinding  course.  Low  levels,  that  seemed  interminable, 
only  marked  out  from  the  land  beyond  by  narrow  belts  of 
trees,  formed  the  framework  of  the  scene.  The  borders  of 
the  desert  rise  and  fall  in  gentle  undulations,  on  which  stand, 
sometimes  scantily  and  sometimes  thickly,  groups  of  Haras 
and  Seyal  acacias.  The  vegetation  which  is  visible  demon- 
strates the  complete  desert  character  of  Nubia.  The  shoosh- 
grass  (Fanicum  turgidum),  the  most  general  of  herbage  for 
the  camels,  is  here  trodden  down  in  masses. 

The  voyage  up  the  White  Nile  has  been  very  frequently 
described  by  various  travellers.  The  districts  along  the 
shore  mostly  retain  an  unchanging  aspect  for  miles  together. 
Earely  does  some  distant  mountain  or  isolated  hill  relieve 
the  eye  from  the  wide  monotony.  In  spite  of  all,  there  was 
no  lack  of  interest.  There  is  much  that  cannot  fail  to  make 
the  progress  ever  striking  and  impressive. 

The  attention  is  soon  attracted  by  the  astonishing  number 


54 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


of  geese  and  ducks  which  are  seen  day  after  day.  The 
traveller  in  these  parts  is  so  satiated  with  them,  fattened  and 
roasted,  that  the  sight  creates  something  akin  to  disgust. 
The  number  of  cattle  is  prodigious  :  far  as  the  eye  can  reach 
they  are  scattered  alike  on  either  shore,  whilst,  close  at 
hand,  they  come  down  to  the  river-marshes  to  get  their 
drink.  The  stream,  as  wide  again  as  the  Nile  of  Egypt,  is 
enlivened  by  the  boats  belonging  to  the  shepherds,  who  row 
hither  and  thither  to  conduct  their  cattle,  their  dogs  in  the 
water  swimming  patiently  behind. 

Early  on  the  third  day  we  reached  Getina,  a  considerable 
village  inhabited  by  Hassanieh,  and  which  is  a  favourite 
rendezvous  of  the  Nile-boats.  The  flats  here  were  bright 
with  the  luxuriant  green  of  the  sedge  ;  growing  abundantly 
as  it  does,  it  serves  to  impart  to  the  banks  the  meadow-like 
character  of  northern  tracts.  Tliousands  of  geese  (Chena- 
loj)ex  dsgyjptiacus),  in  no  degree  disconcerted  by  the  arrival  of 
any  stranger,  waddled  up  and  down.  Although  in  places  the 
right  bank  is  bounded  by  sand-banks  thirty  feet  high,  the 
left  appears  completely  and  interminably  flat,  and  occasion- 
ally admits  of  the  culture  of  sorghum.  This  remarkable 
difference  which  exists  between  the  aspect  of  the  two  banks, 
and  which  may  be.  observed  for  several  degrees,  is  to  be 
explained  by  a  hydrographical  law,  which  is  illustrated  not 
only  here,  but  likewise  in  the  district  of  the  Lower  Nile. 
As  rivers  flow  from  southerly  into  more  northern  latitudes, 
their  fluid  particles  are  set  in  motion  with  increased  velocity, 
the  result  of  which  is  to  drive  them  onwards  so  as  to  wash 
away  the  eastern  bank,  leaving  a  continual  deposit  on  the 
west. 

This  phenomenon,  which  may  be  just  as  plainly  perceived 
on  several  of  the  great  rivers  of  Europe,  is,  as  might  be 
expected,  presented  here  on  a  large  scale,  where  the  Nile 
retains  its  northerly  direction  along  a  course  which  extends 
over  a  third  part  of  the  earth's  quadrant.    Hence  it  has 


WOD-SHELLAY. 


55 


arisen  that  the  cultivated  fields  lie  more  generally  upon  the 
western  shore,  while  the  eastern  gives  a  deeper  fairway,  and 
is  found  dotted  at  intervals  with  settled  villages.  Hardly 
ever  does  the  fairway  deviate  from  the  eastern  shore,  and  the 
evident  depression  of  the  shore  has  led  several  travellers  to 
suspect  that  they  have  discovered  a  proof  of  the  continuous 
sloping  of  the  land,  which,  in  truth,  is  only  apparent. 

It  will  be  understood,  therefore,  how  great  a  mistake  is 
made  in  attempting  to  estimate,  as  many  of  my  predecessors 
have  done,  the  degree  of  productiveness  of  the  country  by 
the  sandy  levels  and  starving  fields  on  the  right  bank.  As 
matter  of  fact,  the  White  Nile  is  enriched  by  an  alluvium 
which  would  be  quite  as  fruitful  as  that  of  the  Blue  Nile, 
except  that  it  is  wanting  in  the  crumbling  clay,  which  is  the 
product  of  the  volcanic  mountains  of  Abyssinia,  and  which 
undoubtedly  exercises  a  most  beneficial  influence  on  the 
results  of  Egyptian  agriculture.  Here  the  soil  is  not  only 
rich,  it  is  remarkable  for  its  lightness;  and,  probably  from 
the  absence  of  chalk,  it  has  a  warmer,  brighter  colour  than 
generally  marks  the  Nubian  or  Egyptian  land. 

Towards  midday  the  wind  had  so  much  increased  that  our 
Reis  let  the  boat  drift  without  sail  against  the  stream.  The 
progress  we  thus  made  was  surprising :  then  as  the  gale 
gradually  fell,  we  ventured  to  unfurl  our  sail,  till  the  speed 
we  reached  was  like  that  of  an  arrow  over  the  waters.  We 
drove  through  the  midst  of  the  flocks  of  geese  which  came 
athwart  our  course,  and  firing  at  random  caught  up  as  many 
of  the  wounded  as  came  within  our  grasp.  Towards  the 
close  of  the  day  we  reached  Wod-Shellay. 

Wod-Shellay  is  one  of  the  favourite  resting-places  of  all 
voyagers  upon  the  Nile.  Here,  according  to  custom,  an  ox 
was  slaughtered,*  and  a  formal  leave  was  taken  of  the 
Mohammedan  world,  by  liberal  draughts  of  merissa  beer. 


*  For  five  Maria  Theresa  dollars  (11.)  I  bought  two  fat  bullocks. 


56 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


This  leave-taking  had  to  be  repeated  more  than  once.  We 
were  told  that  higher  up  the  stream  there  were  no  more 
villages,  but  somehow  or  other  opportunities  were  found, 
either  on  pretext  of  making  purchases  or  of  looking  at  old 
friends,  on  which  it  became  necessary  to  have  some  more 
parting  cups  of  merissa  beer.  Subject  to  these  delays,  I  lost 
considerable  time  frequently  in  insipid  dreariness,  where 
neither  scenes  nor  men  could  excite  my  interest. 

After  making  a  complete  day  of  rest  at  Wod-Shellay,  I 
crossed  over  to  the  western  shore  on  a  brief  excursion.  I 
entered  some  villages  at  a  distance  from  the  Nile  and  gained 
some  information  as  to  the  condition  of  their  agriculture. 
Wide,  though  much  thinned,  forests  of  the  Sunt  acacia  (^1. 
nilotica  and  ardbiea)  cover  the  districts  near  the  shore  ; 
further  on  there  was  a  wide  extent  of  cultivated  flat.  The 
soil  is  a  stififish  ash-grey  clay,  different  from  that  of  Egypt, 
but  not  inferior  in  fertility — an  opinion  which  Sir  Samuel 
Baker,  not  investigating  the  west  and  being  acquainted 
only  with  the  sandy  east,  has  ventured  to  deny. 

A  large  yellow-grained  variety  of  Sorghum  vulgar e,  known 
in  the  Khartoom  markets  as  sofifra,"  thrives  here  in  such 
perfection  that  but  few  ears  came  under  my  notice  which 
were  not  at  least  nine  inches  long  and  more  than  four  in 
diameter ;  convincing  evidence  to  me  of  the  fruitful  nature 
of  the  ground. 

I  was  accompanied  by  Arslan,  a  great  sheep-dog,  which  I 
had  brought  with  me  from  Europe,  and  in  all  the  villages 
through  which  I  passed  the  inhabitants,  as  I  advanced, 
scampered  off  in  terror,  crying  "  Hysena,  hyaena ! "  It  was 
difficult  to  make  them  understand  that  the  brown-spotted 
animal  was  only  a  dog.  I  do  not  think  I  know  a  country 
where  the  dread  of  great  dogs  is  so  universal  as  in  the  Soudan. 

But  a  few  years  ago  unlimited  forests  here  met  the 
stranger's  eye ;  the  large  demand  for  timber  for  ship- 
building purposes,  however,  has  all  but  destroyed  them.  At 


MOUNT  AEKASH-KOL. 


57 


Wod-Shellay,  in  Mohammed  Ali's  time,  the  Government 
maintained  a  large  dock,  on  which  were  built  the  numerous 
boats  which  that  enterprising  ruler  sent  out  into  the  upper 
districts ;  at  present  there  is  a  similar  establishment  higher 
up  the  stream  upon  the  Isle  of  Aba,  where  the  stores  of  wood 
are  awhile  secured  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  future. 
Scarcely  one  tree  out  of  a  hundred  yields  timber  suitable  for 
building :  and  all  along  the  bank  the  owners  like  to  pay  their 
taxes  by  means  of  wood  instead  of  money  ;  the  consequence 
naturally  is  that  the  best  trees  are  prematurely  lost  and  that 
old  trees  are  comparatively  rare.  The  steamboat  service  on 
these  waters  is  much  assisted  by  the  inexhaustible  supply  of 
fuel  which  is  everywhere  to  be  procured  along  the  banks. 

Our  voyage  was  next  continued,  through  the  night,  as  far 
as  a  watering-place  on  the  western  shore,  near  which  lay  the 
village  of  Turra.  We  lay-to  in  sight  of  the  neighbouring 
mountain  Arrash-kol. 

The  hippopotamuses  now  became  more  frequent ;  their 
noise,  gurgling,  and  snorting  was  heard  far  over  the  waters, 
and  grated  as  harshly  on  the  ear  as  the  incessant  creaking  of 
our  own  rudder.  The  traveller  up  the  White  Nile  must 
accustom  himself  to  this,  or  he  has  no  hope,  of  an  undisturbed 
night's  rest. 

The  western  shores,  which  are  marked  by  rows  of  acacias 
almost  as  though  arranged  in  avenues,  have  nothing  African 
in  their  aspect,  chiefly  on  account  of  the  absence  of  the 
palm,  that  chief  ornament  of  the  tropics;  they  rather 
remind  of  what  may  be  seen  in  the  thinly-populated  districts 
beside  the  Volga  and  other  of  the  streams  of  Kussia.  The 
Arrash-kol  is  an  isolated  mountain  some  hundred  feet  high, 
of  which  the  jagged  steeps  jut  up  from  the  uniform  level. 
It  is  well  known  to  botanists  through  the  treasures  which 
were  gathered  there  thirty  years  ago  by  the  traveller 
Kotschy.  Time  did  not  permit  me  to  investigate  the  country 
from  this  interesting  centre.     I  was  obliged  to  content 


58 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


myself  with  a  trip  to  the  village  of  Turra,  two  leagues 
away.  , 

No  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  number  of  cattle  all  here- 
abouts; the  route  leads  over  continual  watering-places, 
where  herds  of  cattle,  varying  in  number  from  1000  to  3000, 
are  assembled,  and  form  a  most  striking  spectacle.  The 
cattle  'of  the  Hassanieh  are  distinguished  by  a  hump,  and  are 
of  a  race  peculiar  to  the  whole  of  the  Soudan,  having  beyond 
a  doubt  some  close  affinity  to  tlie  Indian  zebu.  The  ox  of 
the  Eoyptians,  which,  in  consequence  of  the  cattle-plague  in 
1863-64,  has  almost  entirely  died  out,  has  no  hump.  Its 
horns  are  short,  and  it  differs  in  the  shape  of  its  skull 
from  the  ox  of  the  Soudan ;  the  breed  has  survived  only  in 
Central  Nubia.  In  girth  and  height,  not  only  do  the  cattle 
of  the  Hassanieh  exceed  the  Egyptian,  but  those  which  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  mention  hereafter  as  belonging  to  the 
Baggara  Arabs,  surpass  the  breeds  which  are  kept  by  the 
pagan  negroes  of  the  Upper  Nile.  Amongst  the  Shillooks 
and  Dinka,  for  instance,  the  light  grey  colour  predominates, 
whilst  the  marking  of  the  skin  in  the  majority  of  those  of 
which  we  speak  is  like  a  spotted  leopard,  black  specks  on  a 
lightish  ground ;  but  neither  are  the  white  and  brown,  the 
piebald,  nor  coats  entirely  dun-colour,  at  all  unfrequent. 

I  was  conducted  through  the  fragrant  wood  of  the  flower- 
ing acacia  to  a  place  where  a  little  weekly  market  had 
gathered  the  neatherds  of  the  neighbourhood,  and  where 
milk  flowed  in  streams.  The  Hassanieh  do  not  differ  exter- 
nally from  the  score  of  other  nomad  races  which,  more  or 
less  Arabised,  inhabit  the  steppes  and  deserts  on  both  sides 
of  the  Nile.  They  appeared  to  me  far  more  confiding  than 
my  old  friends  the  Bishareen  and  Hadendoa,  but  perhaps 
for  the  reason  that,  speaking  good  Arabic,  they  were  able  to 
contribute  their  part  to  a  good  understanding  on  both  sides. 
They  crowded  round  me  everywhere  to  gaze  at  my  strange 
big  dog,  and  I  was  repeatedly  obliged  to  give  a  history  in 


AFRICAN  NOVELTIES. 


59 


detail  of  his  genealogy,  liis  qualities,  and  all  about  liim. 
Being  in  possession  of  a  splendid  race  of  greyhounds,  which 
they  train  for  gazelle  hunting,  and  of  which  they  have  a 
high  opinion,  their  interest  was  raised  to  the  highest  pitch. 
•The  dogs  smelt  strongly  ;  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  s'dy, 
so  did  the  men. 

The  graceful  shade  acacias  (A.  sjpirocarpa)  here  come  once 
again  into  the  front,  soon  to  be  finally  lost  sight  of  on  the 
other  side  of  the  neighbouring  desert.  Along  the  right 
bank  there  were  many  masses  of  a  large-leaved  shrub,  which 
covers  the  country,  and  for  miles  disputes  the  precedence 
with  all  the  prevailing  vegetation  ;  it  is  the  Ijoomsea  asari- 
folia,  appearing  in  some  places  like  rose  bushes  in  the  luxu- 
riant adornment  of  its  ample  blossoms,  a  bright  relief  to  the 
general  dreariness  of  the  shore. 

Our  voyage, is  again  continued  by  night;  the  channel  is 
broad  and  deepj  freely  we  sail  throughout  the  hours  of 
darkness.  The  noise  of  the  hippopotamuses  is  the  chief  dis- 
turbance ;  it  seems  as  if  there  is  no  relief  from  their  tumult. 
It  almost  seemed  as  if  they  were  quite  close  about  us,  but 
one  had  but  to  look  around,  and  their  clumsy  heads  were 
visible  in  the  distance,  projecting  like  black  points  above 
the  stream.  By  way  of  variety  there  came,  at  intervals,  the 
roar  of  some  lion  prowling  on  the  bank.  Such  were  the 
novelties  of  Africa. 

In  the  morning  we  passed  Dueme,  one  of  the  largest 
villages  in  this  district.  Soon  we  reached  the  groups  of 
little  islands  whose  soil,  naturally  fertile,  has  been  success- 
fully subject  to  a  recent  cultivation.  It  is  a  cheering  sign 
of  the  progress  of  cultivation  in  these  regions,  to  see  the 
fellaheen  of  Nubia  travelling  continually  further  and  further 
up  the  banks  of  the  White  Nile.  The  passive  population  of 
blacks  on  the  river,  at  least  in  the  space  of  a  few  decades, 
has  been  partly  displaced,  and  partly  spurred  on  to  greater 
energy ;  and  doubtless,  therefore,  there  are  many  places  in 


I 


60 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Nubia  itself  capable  of  being  cultivated,  which  have  become 
desolate  only  as  a  consequence  of  the  oppressiveness  of  a 
heavy  taxation. 

The  flocks  of  geese  were  still  unending,  and  every  expe- 
dient was  resorted  to  to  make  a  variety  in  the  way  of  cook- 
ing them ;  they  were  stuffed  with  rice ;  they  were  dressed 
with  tomato  sauce ;  they  were  served  with  mushrooms;  and 
when  every  imaginable  way  of  preparing  them  was  exhausted, 
we  had  recourse,  by  way  of  variety,  to  the  ducks  (Anas 
mduata)  which  were  obtainable.  Then  was  the  golden  age 
of  my  cuisine.  Our  provisions  were  ample,  and  the  inventive 
faculties  of  my  cook  Kiharn  turned  them  all  to  the  best 
account.  But  different  times  were  yet  to  come,  times  when 
Riharn  must  murmur  that  the  three  years  of  his  life  spent  in 
Shepherd's  Hotel  in  Cairo  had  all  been  sacrificed,  and  must 
repine  that  he  could  find  no  scope  for  his  abilities  in  Central 
Africa.  The  result  of  all  this  was,  that  he  was  a  terrible 
backslider  in  his  art,  and  at  the  end  of  three  years  could 
never  cook  a  dish  of  rice  without  burning  it. 

A  few  days  after  our  departure  I  had  made  the  unpleasant 
discovery  that  the  prudent  Ghattas,  to  whom  the  vessel 
belonged,  with  an  eye  to  economy,,  had  put  on  board,  with- 
out due  protection,  all  his  powder  and  a  year's  supply  of 
the  cartridges  necessary  for  the  expedition.  In  order  to 
save  the  expense  of  proper  chests  he  had  wrapped  up  several 
hundredweight  of  these  combustibles  loosely  in  sacks  of  mat- 
ting and  paper  parcels  only,  and  piled  them  up  just  under 
the  entrance  to  my  cabin,  where  I  was  accustomed  to  sit 
smoking  my  pipe  and  surveying  the  land.  I  had  now  thrown 
a  cowhide  across  this  explosive  heap,  and  so  secured  that 
the  smoking  and  the  contemplation  might  be  resumed  with 
greater  composure  on  my  part. 

On  the  same  day  we  reached  the  Egyptian  military  station 
Kowa,  or  El-Ais,  at  which  there  is  a  large  Government  corn- 
store.    El-Ais  was  for  years  the  extreme  southern  boundary 


ANIMAL  AND  VEGETABLE  LIFE. 


61 


of  the  State.  Passing  through  it  is  a  much  frequented  road, 
which  crosses  the  White  as  well  as  the  Blue  Nile,  and  unites 
Kordofan  with  Abyssinia.  Along  this  road  the  Baggara 
fetch  most  of  their  horses,  which  they  buy  by  auction  in  the 
market  of  Gallabat. 

Directly  above  Kowa  begins  the  region  of  the  Shillook 
Islands,  which,  as  yet  unthinned  by  the  axe,  are  very  valu- 
able. A  little  further  up  the  stream,  following  the  outline 
of  the  banks,  stretches  a  series  of  Nubian  agricultural  settle- 
ment. At  one  of  these  goodly  islands,  known  as  Om-mandeb, 
we  stayed  our  course  awhile.  Mandeb  is  the  name  her^ 
given  to  the  prickliest  of  prickly  plants,  the  Mimosa  asperata  ; 
transplanted  by  the  stream,  it  is  occasionally  found  even  as 
far  off  as  Egypt,  but  here  it  surrounds  the  island,  shore,  and 
forms  a  hedge  of  impenetrable  thorns.  Here  in  a  wild  state 
is  the  water  melon,  and  I  have  submitted  proofs  that  the 
cradle  of  this  nursling  of  culture  lies  in  Africa,  the  original 
home  of  the  domestic  cat  and  of  the  ass. 

A  rich  variety  of  animal  life  is  developed  in  this  wilder- 
ness; not  only  did  the  shore  swarm  with  hippopotamuses, 
whose  vestiges  were  like  deep  pit-holes,  but  the  ground  was 
scooped  out  in  places  vacated  by  rows  of  crocodiles,  which 
now  basked  only  thirty  paces  in  our  front.  Great  iguanas 
(  Varanus)  and  snakes  rustled  in  the  dry  grass.  Everywhere 
under  the  trees  were  snake  skins  and  egg  shells ;  above  in 
the  branches  was  heard  the  commotion  of  the  mischievous 
monkeys  (Cercojpithecus  griseoviridus),  whilst  birds  of  many 
a  species,  eagles  from  giant  nests,  and  hosts  of  fluttering 
water-fowl,  gave  incessant  animation  to  the  scenery  of  the 
shore. 

What,  however,  most  interested  me,  was  the  unlimited 

variety  in  the  kinds  of  water  plants  which  abounded  on  the 

floods,  the  sport  of  the  winds  and  waves.    Among  them  the 

Herminiera,  known  under  the  native  name  of  ambatch,  has 

already  been  the  subject  of  general  remark ;  it  plays  so 
Vol.  I.— 6 


62 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


prominent  a  part  in  the  upper  waters  of  the  Nile,  that  it 
might  fairly  be  designated  the  most  remarkable  of  the  native 
plants. 

My  predecessor,  Kotschy,  who  did  not  know^  that  it  had 
already  been  observed  by  Adanson  in  Senegambia,  named  it 
Mdemone  mirahilis,  which  was  corrupted  into  the  still  more 
wonderful  name  of  Anemone  mirahilis,  and  so  appeared'  in 
many  books  which  treated  of  Africa.    The  ambatch  is  dis- 

«  tinguished  for  the  unexampled  lightness  of  its  wood,  if  the 
fungus-like  substance  of  the  stem  deserves  such  a  name  at 
^11.  It  shoots  up  to  15  or  20  feet  in  height,  and  at  its  base 
generally  attains  a  thickness  of  about  6  inches.  The  weight 
of  this  fungus-wood  is  so  insignificant  that  it  really  suggests 
comparison  to  a  feather.    Only  by  taking  it  into  his  hands 

.  could  any  one  believe  that  it  w^re  possible  for  one  man  to 
lift  on  to  his  shoulders  a  raft  made  large  enough  to  carry 
eight  people  on  the  water.  The  plant  shoots  up  with  great 
rapidity  by  the  quiet  places  of  the  shore,  and  since  it  roots 
merely  in  the  water,  whole  bushes  are  easily  broken  off  by 
the  force  of  the  wind  or  stream,  and  settle  themselves  afresh 
in  other  places.  This  is  the  true  origin  of  the  grass-barriers 
so  frequently  mentioned  as  blocking  up  the  waters  of  the 
Upper  Nile,  and  in  many  seasons  making  navigation  utterly 
impracticable.  Other  plants  have  a  share  in  the  formation 
of  these  floating  islands,  which  daily  eimerge  like  the  Delos 
of  tradition  ;  among  them,  in  particular,  the  vossia  grass, 
and  the  famous  papyrus  of  antiquity,  which  at  present  is 
nowhere  to  be  found  either  in  Nubia  or  in  Egypt. 

On  the  13th  of  January,  on  one  of  the  thronging  islands, 
we  had  our  first  rencontre  with  the  Shillooks.  This  tribe  of 
negroes  formerly  extended  themselves  much  further  north 
than  at  present,  having  settlements  on  all  the  islands ;  but 
now  they  only  exceptionally  penetrate  to  this  latitude 
(12°  30')  in  their  canoes  of  hollow^  tamarind  stems.  The 
Baggara,  meanwhile,  are  ever  gaining  a  firmer  footing  on 


MISFORTUNE. 


63 


the  river  banks,  and  have  already  with  their  flocks  ventured 
far  to  the  east  of  the  stream  into  the  land  of  the  Dinka. 

Some  long  islands  of  sand  distinguished  by  stripes  here 
gave  a  noticeable  feature  to  the  scene ;  they  were  covered 
with  flocks  of  Balearic  or  peacock  cranes,  which  had  arranged 
themselves  in  five .  or  six  rows  like  a  regiment  of  soldiers, 
their  beaks  turned  to  the  wind  and  facing  the  north.  When 
young  this  bird,  thus  plentifully  supplied,  has  flesh  more 
palatable  than  -the  goose,  because  it  feeds  on  corn  and 
beans;  and,  like  the  guinea  fowl,  it  made  a  change  incur 
bill  of  fare.  On  the  western  banks  were  large  herds  of  ante- 
lopes {A.  megaloceras),  which  we  could  see  peacefully  coming 
down  to  drink.  In  other  places  we  passed  close  by  trees 
with  a  lively  population  of  monkeys  swinging  on  the 
branches ;  and  now  for  the  first  time  we  observed  the  troops 
of  maraboo  storks,  which  made  their  appearance  in  consider- 
able numbers  by  the  water's  edge.  All  this  diversity  of  life 
gave  the  fascination  of  romance  to  the  loneliness  of  the 
forest. 

The  14th  of  January  was  the  first  day  of  ill-luck,  which  I 
was  myself  the  means  of  bringing  about.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing another  boat  had  joined  us ;  and  the  people  wished  me 
to  allow  them  to  stay  awhile  that  they  might  enjoy  them- 
selves together.  Being,  however,  at  a  spot  which  seemed  to 
me  extremely  dull,  I  urged  them  to  go  further,  in  order  to 
land  on  a  little  island  that  appeared  more  full  of  interest. 
The  excursion  which  I  took  was  attended  by  a  misfortune 
which  befell  one  of  the  two  men  whom  I  took  to  accompany 
me.  Mohammed  Amin,  such  was  his  name,  running  at  my 
side,  had  chanced  to  come  upon  a  wild  buffalo,  that  1  had 
not  the  least  intention  of  injuring,  but  which  the  man,  un- 
happily, approached  too  near  in  the  high  grass.  The  buffalo, 
it  would  seem,  was  taking  his  midday  nap,  and  disturbed 
from  his  siesta,  rose  in  the  utmost  fury.  To  spring  up  and 
whirl  the  destroyer  of  his  peace  in  the  air  was  but  the  w^ork 


64: 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


of  an  instant.  There  lay  my  faithful  companion,  bleeding 
all  over,  and  in  front  of  him,  tail  erect,  stood  the  buffalo 
roaring,  and  in  a  threatening  attitude  ready  to  trample 
down  his  victim.  As  fate  would  have  it,  however,  the  atten- 
tion of  the  infuriated  brute  was  attracted  by  the  other  two 
men,  who  stood  by  looking  on  speechless  with  astonishment. 
I  had  no  gun ;  Mohammed  had  been  carrying  my  breech- 
loader in  his  hand,  and  there  it  was  swinging  on  the  left 
horn  of  the  buffalo.  The  other  man  with  me,  who  carried 
my  rifle,  had  immediately  taken  aim,  but  the  trigger  snapped 
in  vain,  and  time  after  time  the  gun  missed  fire.  No  time 
now  for  any  consultation ;  it  was  a  question  of  a  moment. 
The  man  grasped  at  a  small  iron  hatchet  and  hurled  it 
straight  at  the  buffalo's  head  from  a  distance  of  about 
twenty  paces ;  the  aim  was  good,  and  thus  was  the  prey 
rescued  from  the  enemy.  With  a  wild  bound  the  buffalo 
threw  itself  sidelong  into  the  reeds,  tore  along  through  the 
rustling  stalks  with  its  ponderous  weight,  bellowing  and 
shaking  all  the  ground.  Koaring  and  growling,  bounding 
violently  from  side  to  side,  he .  could  be  seen  in  wild  career, 
and  as  we  presumed  that  the  whole  herd  might  be  in  his 
train,  we  seized  the  guns,  and  made  our  quickest  way  to  a 
neighbouring  tree.  All,  however,  soon  was  quiet,  and  our 
next  thought  was  directed  to  the  unfortunate  sufferer. 
Mohammed's  head  lay  as  though  nailed  to  the  ground,  his 
ears  pierced  by  sharp  reed-stalks,  but  a  moment's  inspection 
convinced  us  that  the  injuries  were  not  fatal.  The  buffalo's 
horn  had  struck  his  mouth,  and,  besides  the  loss  of  four  teeth 
in  the  upper  jaw  and  some  minor  fractures,  he  had  sustained 
no  further  harm.  I  left  my  other  companion  on  the  spot  to 
wash  Mohammed,  and  hastened  alone  to  the  distant  boat  to 
have  him  fetched.  In  three  weeks  he  had  recovered,  and  as 
an  equivalent  for  each  of  his  four  teeth  he  had  a  backsheesh 
of  ten  dollars.  This  liberality  on  my  part  wonderfully 
animated  the  desire  for  enterprise  amongst  my  companions, 


BRETHREN  IN  THE  FAITH. 


65 


and  put  them  in  great  good  humour  towards  me  for  the 
future. 

After  a  long  time  a  mountain  once  again  appeared;  it 
was  the  two  peaks  of  the  Nyemati,  imposing  masses  of 
granite  which  rise  aloft  on  the  right.  We  took  up  our 
quarters  on  the  opposite  island,  where  a  number  of  Baggara 
Arabs  had  pitched  their  tented  camp.  "  Habbabkum,  hab- 
babkum,  habbabkum,  aschera"  (good  friends),  again  and 
again  our  people  begin  to  shout  as  soon  as  they  see  their 
swarthy  brethren  in  the  faith  upon  the  shore.  Then  from 
our  side  are  heard  demands  for  "  semmem  "  and  for  '*  roab  " 
(butter  and  buttermilk),  whilst  the  Arabs  cry  for  "  esh,  esh," 
that  is,  for  corn.  Corn,"  we  reply,  we  have  hardly 
enough  for  ourselves."  And  then  once  more  ensues  the 
mingling  of  the  sounds  "  semmem  "  and  habbabkum."  At 
last,  on  shore,  we  are  embracing  the  "  habbabkums "  with 
wonderful  emotion ;  but  this  does  not  quite  go  down ;  we 
find  everything  they  offer  us  has  to  be  paid  for  handsomely 
at  Khartoom  market-prices.  As  soon  as  it  was  seen  that 
nothing  was  to  be  got  out  of  them  without  payment,  our 
crew  was  not  long  in  conferring  upon  them  the  name  of 
"  Nas-batalin  "  (rascals). 

The  women  were  much  more  courteous,  and  vied  in 
amiability,  so  as  to  entice  as  many  visitors  as  possible  to 
their  merissa-shops.  These  they  had  improvised  in  their 
huts,  eager  to  make  a  profit  from  the  ever-thirsty  Khar- 
toomers  as  they  sail  along.  With  these  women,  who  were 
ever  actively  employed  at  the  hearth,  though  little  accustomed 
to  keep  alive  the  sacred  fire  of  Vesta,  my  party  spent  their 
holiday  in  rioting  and  revelry.  I,  for  my  part,  lingered  out 
my  time  on  the  neighbouring  steppe,  treating  the  children 
to  biscuits,  as  I  should  to  bonbons. 

The  Baggara  Arabs  possess  the  wide  district  which  extends 
from  Kordofan  and  Darfur  on  the  south,  as  far  as  the  river 
banks  inhabited  by  the  Dinka  and  Shillooks.    Part  of  them 


66 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


— indeed,  in  the  east,  a  third  of  them — pay  tribute  to  Egypt. 
The  name  Baggara  means  neatherds,"  and  indeed  their 
wealth  consists  simply  of  cattle  ;  they  are  not,  however, 
shepherds,  as  they  are  represented  in  the  idylls  of  home,  but 
mounted  and  warlike  from  their  youth ;  they  are  bolder 
robbers  than  any  other  of  the  Ethiopian  nomad  races.  They 
bring  down  elephants  with  lance  and  sword,  a  feat  scarcely 
less  free  from  risk  than  playing  with  lions  and  leopards  as 
though  they  were  l^ittens.  Many  of  them  hire  themselves 
out  to  the  Khartoomers  to  accompany  their  expeditions  to  the 
interior.  Several  came  to  offer  their  services  to  me,  under 
the  impression  that  my  object  was  the  capture  of  slaves.  I 
confess  that  I  could  hardly  restrain  my  admiration  when  I 
gazed  upon  their  athlete,  agile  forms,  although  I  had  no  call 
for  their  services. 

The  Baggara  speak  a  tolerably  pure  Soudan- Arabic ;  they 
seem  to  extend  themselves  rapidly  as  an  immigrant  tribe 
over  the  pasture  steppes,  at  the  expense  of  other  and  less 
favoured  races.  Their  countenances  betray  little  of  the 
Semitic  expression,  and  I  saw  not  a  few  whose  physiognomy 
reminded  me  of  some  of  my  old  friends  at  home.  I  can 
confidently  maintain  that  they  form  the  finest  race  of  the 
nomad  people  dwelling  on  the  Nile.  I  could  not  help  being 
surprised  at  the  love  of  ornament  and  finery  which  was 
manifested  by  this  race,  advanced  as  it  is.  The  clothing  of 
the  generality  consists  of  indigo-blue  shirts,  such  as  are  worn 
by  the  peasants  of  Egypt,  whilst  the  more  wealthy  array 
themselves  in  robes  of  scarlet  and  figured  calico. 

On  the  other  shore  I  visited  the  mountain,  which  is  almost 
contiguous  to  the  river.  Growing  here  I  first  found  the 
tamarind,  which  never  failed  me  more  throughout  my  entire 
wanderings.  The  thick  shade  of  these  bright  green  trees 
makes  them  a  favourite  rendezvous  on  all  the  roads  of 
Central  Africa.  Every  traveller  in  the  Soudan  can  scarce  be 
otherwise  than  quite  familiar  with  the  Hegelig  {Balanites), 


MOUNT  NYEMATI. 


67 


of  which,  like  plums,  the  fruit  falls  off  and  thickly  strews 
the  ground  below.  By  the  people  of  Khartoom  it  is  called 
Lalob.  It  contains  a  sweetish  pulp,  tasting  at  first  like 
gingerbread,  but  it  leaves  a  bitter  taste  behind,  and  is  pur- 
gative in  its  properties. 

Climbing  about  800  feet  I  reached  the  summit  of  the 
Nyemati,  and  had  a  fine  view  of  the  steppes  intersected  by 
the  stream.  The  slopes  consist  partly  of  rough,  massy 
blocks  of  granite,  and  partly  of  huge  unbroken  flats,  some 
a  hundred  feet  in  length,  which  descend  to  the  river  and  in 
places  appear  like  sunken  roofs.  In  the  rifts  and  deeper 
clefts  swarm  multitudes  of  bats,  and  a  fetid  atmosphere 
exhales  from  these  murky  chasms.  The  Abyssinian  rock- 
rabbit,  creeping  like  a  marmot  over  the  stones,  is  ever  to 
be  seen  among  the  mountains  of  the  steppes.  The  eastern 
horizon  is  bounded  by  the  mountains  of  the  Dar-el-Fungi 
in  Upper  Sennaar,  at  a  distance  of  more  than  thirty  miles. 

As  we  progressed  further  the  river  islands  became  more 
frequent,  and  the  channels  more  and  more  narrowed  by  the 
surrounding  masses  of  impenetrable  grass.  The  ambatch  is 
here  almost  excluded  by  the  vossia  grass,  but  only  to  re- 
appear at  the  mouth  of  the  waters.  We  came  continually 
upon  Baggara,  with  whom,  without  stopping  on  our  course, 
we  talked  and  discussed  the  market  prices  of  provisions.  A 
tine  fat  bullock  was  bought  for  only  three  dollars,  a  price  at 
which  it  would  pay  to  found  here  a  company  for  the  extract 
of  meat;  the  skins  are  not  exported,  but  are  used  in  the 
country.  The  Baggara  hold  all  the  left  bank,  and  visit  it 
in  winter  when  the  steppes  in  the  interior  are  dry  and 
scorched.  Wherever  they  settle,  as  now  and  then  they  do, 
either  on  the  islands  or  on  the  right  bank,  they  completely 
drive  out  the  Shillook  negroes.  At  various  times  in  the  day 
we  landed  to  fraternise  with  the  Baggara.  The  large  flocks 
of  ducks  afforded  entertaining  and  successful  sport ;  and  as 
for  geese,  there  were  still  more  than  I  and  my  people  could 


68 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


eat.  To  and  fro,  ever  and  again  swept  through  the  water  a 
Shillook  fishing  in  his  fragile  boat ;  he  is  not  entitled  to  the  , 
"  habbabkum,"  because  he  is  a  heathen ;  he  is  mocked  with 
"  Wod-e-Mek  "  (son  of  a  king)  for  a  greeting,  made  to  tell 
where  he  comes  from,  and  whither  he  is  going,  and  if  he  has 
any  fish,  it  is  taken  from  him  :  such  is  the  practice  on  every 
vessel.  But  the  Shillooks  are  also  subject  to  Egyptian  rule, 
and  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  in  a  short  time  they  will 
enjoy  equal  rights  with  the  other  subjects  of  the  Viceroy, 
however  insignificant  these  may  appear  to  be. 

To  a  degree  that  created  some  misgiving  as  to  what  might 
be  before  us,  the  progress  now  began  to  be  unalterably 
tedious.  For  a  weary  time  all  woodlands  seemed  wholly  to 
have  forsaken  the  shore ;  nothing  was  to  be  perceived  but 
the  desolation  of  a  vast  savannah.  Dark  brown  widow-ducks 
{Anas  viduata)  and  shovellers  were  shot,  whose  oily  taste  is 
only  disguised  by  red  pepper.  At  night  the  time  was  usually 
beguiled  by  stories  of  adventui*es  in  the  Upper  Nile  district. 
Everyone  has  something  wonderful  which  he  delights  to  tell, 
something  beyond  all  experience,  and  is  ready  to  swear  by 
the  Koran  and  by  the  beard  of  the  Prophet  that  what  he  says 
is  true.  "  Africa,"  said  Aristotle  ages  ago,  "  has  always 
something  new  to  show ;"  the  latest  tale  was  now  about  the 
pygmies,  of  whom  I  here  received  my  earliest  information. 
1  had  no  idea  that  I  should  be  brought  into  actual  and  close 
connection  with  such  people.  I  laughed  at  the  accounts 
which  eye-witnesses  gave  of  them,  and,  for  my  part,  quietly 
put  them  into  the  category  of  men  with  tails.  I  took  my 
share  in  dressing  up  a  story  for  the  entertainment  of  my 
party.  Alexandre  Dumas's  tale,  '  I'Homme  a  queue,'  served 
my  purpose  admirably.  It  is  so  clever,  and  yet  so  pointed  in 
its  fine  simplicity,  that  it  thoroughly  enlisted  the  attention 
of  all  who  heard  it. 

Notwithstanding  the  undeniable  sameness  which  prevailed 
in  its  outward  character,  I  found  every  fresh  landing-place 


NILE  VEGETATION. 


69 


afford  me  some  surprise  or  other.  Rich  was  the  reward  of 
penetrating,  as  I  did,  a  thorough  wilderness  on  the  right 
bank  on  the  mainland.  Buffaloes  forcing  their  way  along 
had  beaten  many  avenues  through  thickets  and  creepers, 
and  along  these  I  went,  followed  by  a  group  of  armed  men. 
The  vestiges  in  every  direction  were  so  conclusive  as  to  the 
number  of  the  beasts  that  were  about,  that  we  might  well 
expect  a  rencontre  as  dangerous  as  that  which  has  already 
been  related.  Here  in  a  wild  state  is  found  the  Luffa,  a  plant 
of  the  gourd  family.  The  dried  fruit  of  this  contains  a 
fibrous  skeleton,  that  answers  the  purpose  of  a  bathing- 
sponge,  and  it  is  frequently  cultivated  in  Egypt  for  that 
purpose.  I  could  enumerate  a  whole  series  of  plants,  known 
in  Egypt  only  under  cultivation,  which  find  their  original 
and  proper  home  in  .the  primeval  forests  of  the  White  Nile. 
Not  unreasonably  may  an  inference  be  drawn  that,  in  ages 
iDdefinitely  long  ago,  the  entire  Nile  Valley  exhibited  a 
vegetation  harmonising  in  its  character  •  throughout,  much 
more  than  now.  It  was  the  upgrowth  of  civilisation  in 
ancient  Egpyt  which  displaced  the  flora  from  its  northern 
seat,  and  made  it,  as  at  present,  only  to  be  found  hundreds 
of  miles  higher  up  the  land.  This  assumption  is  in  a  mea- 
sure confirmed  by  the  traditions  which  survive  with  regard  to 
animals.  In  remote  times,  the  ibis,  the  hippopotamus,  the 
crocodile,  all  existed  in  far  more  northerly  latitudes  than 
now.  The  papyrus,  it  may  be  added,  gives  its  witness  to  the 
same  theory. 

After  a  while  the  southern  horizon  was  again  broken  by 
the  elevation  of  a  mountain,  which  proved  to  be  the  Defa- 
fang,  an  extinct  volcano,  1000  feet  high,  several  miles  from 
the  river.  Werne,  one  of  the  first  explorers  of  the  Upper 
Nile  waters,  the  only  European  who  visited  this  locality, 
collected  a  variety  of  specimens  of  the  rocks,  and  they 
exhibited  the  volcanic  nature  of  the  basaltic  lava,  corre- 
sponding to  similar  formations  in  the  Eifel.    This  mountain 


70 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


stands  as  the  boundary-mark  between  the  first  negro  territory 
on  the  White  Nile  and  the  shepherd  race  of  the  Baggara. 

As  we  were  sailing  in  deep  water  close  to  the  reedy  shore, 
the  roar  and  rustle  of  our  great  sail  started  up  a  herd  of  wild 
buffaloes,  which  disappeared  from  sight,  before  we  had  time 
to  seize  our  rifles.  When  presently  we  were  passing  the  last 
camp  of  the  Baggara,  our  attention  was  attracted  to  a  scene 
of  excitement,  at  once  vivid  and  picturesque.  The  entire 
population,  alarmed  by  an  attack  of  wild  buffaloes  on  some 
cattle-drivers,  was  up  and  in  hot  pursuit.  Hundreds  of  men 
armed  with  lance  or  sword,  some  of  them  mounted,  were 
furiously  hurrying  to  the  scene,  urged  on  by  the  frantic 
shrieks  of  the  excited  women.  We  could  not  resist  the  con- 
clusion that  the  buffaloes,  which  we  had  disturbed,  had 
proceeded  to  attack  the  neighbouring  drivers.  An  impres- 
sion seemed  to  prevail  that  we  had  fired  at  the  Baggara,  but 
in  the  tumult  nobody  exactly  understood  the  circumstances. 
The  gale  was  in  our  favour,  and  we  glided  rapidly  out  of 
reach  without  learning  the  precise  issue  of  the  disotder.  We 
observed  one  poor  fellow  who  had  incurred  a  disaster  similar 
to,  and  perhaps  worse  than,  that  which  happened  to  my  own 
Mohammed  Am  in.  About  Mohammed  I  may  here  mention 
that  his  upper  lip  had  been  held  together  by  a  couple  of 
insect-needles;  that  he  had  been  treated  to  plenty  of  pap 
and  camomile-tea,  and  that  after  spitting  out  one  little 
splinter  of  bone  after  another,  he  soon  found  himself  getting 
all  right  again. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  the  boat  sailed  for  a  wager 
with  a  flotilla  of  light-grey  pelicans.  Eepeated  small  shot 
could  not  make  them  rise ;  but  at  last  we  outstripped  them, 
and  succeeded  in  shooting  down  several  from  the  group. 
From  the  supple  breast-feathers  of  this  bird,  the  savages  of 
the  Upper  Nile  prepare  close  perukes,  which  make  an  excel- 
lent imitation  of  a  luxuriant  crop  of  grey  hair,  and  would  be 
a  valuable  acquisition  to  any  theatrical  wardrobe. 


MOHAMMED  KHER. 


7J 


A  hurried  trip  upon  the  left  bank  brought  me  upon  the 
track  of  a  large  herd  of  elephants.  According  to  the  Bag- 
gara,  this  district  is  most  prolific  as  a  hunting-ground  for 
these  animals.  The  adjacent  territories  of  the  Shillooks,  on 
the  other  hand,  are  too  densely  populated  to  allow  elephants 
to  be  numerous,  and  they  have  to  be  sought  at  some  distance, 
where  on  account  of  the  wide  water-level,  they  are  often 
reached  in  boats. 

At  sunset  we  reached  a  place  on  the  right  bank,  which  will 
always  retain  a  certain  notoriety  in  the  history  of  the  White 
Nile,  as  having  once  been  the  headquarters  of  the  renowned 
robber  chief,  Mohammed  Kher.  The  raised  works,  having 
on  their  interior  traces  of  decayed  walls  of  earth,  and  sur- 
rounded by  deep  trenches,  mark  the  site  of  Mohammed 
Kher's  seriba.  To  judge  by  the  heaps  of  bones  which  still 
exist,  the  number  of  cattle  slaughtered  and  feasted  on  must 
have  been  something  enormous.  Booty  was  plundered  from 
far  and  near,  but  the  Shillooks  -were  the  greatest  sufferers. 
Mohammed  Kher,  with  his  contingent  of  well-mounted 
Baggara,  was  not  only  for  many  years  a  terror  to  the  neigh- 
bouring negro  races,  but  could  defy  the  authority  of  the 
Governor  at  Khartoom.  Yet  principally  it  was  he  who 
taught  the  people  of  Khartoom  how,  by  means  of  earthworks 
and  regular  ramparts,  to  intimidate  the  natives  and  bring 
them  into  subjection.  Many  human  bones,  the  relics  of 
slaves  carried  off  by  sickness,  as  well  as  the  skulls  of  asses 
and  horses,  are  found  everywhere  about.  As  a  consequence 
of  the  burning  of  the  steppes,  they  are  frequently  noticed  in 
a  half-charred  condition.  Throughout  Africa  burnt  human 
bones  are  ever  the  marks  which  the  slave  trade  leaves  behind. 
Not  far  from  this  ill-famed  place  we  lay-to  alongside  the 
village  of  Kaka,  the  most  northerly  place  inhabited  by  Shil-. 
looks  on  the  White  Nile,  and  at  which  the  Egyptian  Govern- 
ment maintained  a  depot  for  corn.  Twenty  years  ago 
hundreds  of  Dinka  villages  stood  on  this  side  of  the  river. 


72 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


From  the  descriptions  of  travellers  who  accompanied  the 
expeditions  sent  out  by  Mehemet  Ali  to  discover  the  sources 
of  the  Nile,  it  has  been  ascertained  that  the  number  of  the 
population  here  was  formerly  as  important  as  it  now  is  in 
the  very  heart  of  the  Shillook  country.  As  a  result  of  the 
incessant  ravages  of  Mohammed  Kher,  the  entire  eastern 
shore  has  degenerated  into  a  forest  waste.  The  river  still  parts 
the  separate  districts  of  the  hostile  tribes ;  but  the  Shillooks 
have  attempted  to  settle  nowhere  except  at  Kaka  in  the 
deserted  district ;  the  Dinka,  on  their  part,  having  withdrawn 
some  days'  journey  into  the  interior. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  boat,  a  great  crowd  of  naked 
Shillooks,  prompted  by  curiosity,  assembled  on  the  shore,  my 
dog  still  being  the  chief  attraction.  The  first  sight  of  a 
throng  of  savages,  suddenly  presenting  themselves  in  their 
native  nudity,  is  one  from  which  no  amount  of  familiarity 
can  remove  the  strange  impression;  it  takes  abiding  hold 
upon  the  memory,  and  makes  the  traveller  recall  anew  the 
civilisation  he  has  left  behind. 

One  of  the  Khartoom  men  disturbed  my  pensive  contem- 
plations by  pointing  to  the  Shillooks,  and  making  a  remark 
that  they  looked  like  Christians.  I  punished  him  with  the 
scornful  reply  to  the  effect  that  of  whatever  faith  the  savages 
were,  I  could  answer  for  it  that  they  had  the  good  luck  to 
be  neither  Jews  nor  Mohammedans. 

A  large  sombrero  of  Mexican  cut  which  protected  my  head 
from  the  rays  of  the  sun,  excited  the  curiosity  of  the  Shillooks. 
On  their  own  heads  they  wore  a  similar  covering,  except  that 
theirs  was  made  from  their  own  hair.  I  called  their  attention 
to  the  great  likeness  between  black  men  and  white  men,  but 
very  great  was  their  astonishment  when  they  saw  that  my  hair 
could  be  taken  off  and  put  on  again,  which  would  be  to  them 
very  incredible.  It  might  almost  be  said  that  tjiey  are 
hardly  born  without  their  crests,  which  sometimes  resemble 
the  comb  of  a  guinea-fowl,  and  at  other  times  seem  to  be 


SWARM  OF  BEES. 


73 


borrowed  and  designed  from  the  aureoles  which  we  admire  in 
Greek  sacred  pictures.  Even  while  they  are  infants  at  the 
breast,  the  hair  is  begun  to  be  fastened  into  shape  with  gum- 
arabic  and  ashes,  and  in  course  of  time  is  permanently 
brought  into  whatever  form  they  please. 

The  dreary  steppe  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kaka  contained 
nothing  that  was  worth  the  trouble  of  collecting.  The  dried- 
up  remains  of  vegetation  had  been  completely  annihilated 
by  fire.  Accordingly  I  was  anxious  to  proceed  farther  the 
same  day,  that  I  might  botanise  in  some  undisturbed  spot  of 
the  primaeval  forest ;  my  desire  was,  however,  frustrated  by 
an  incident  which  I  do  not  even  now  remember  without  a 
shudder.  At  the  village  the  shore,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  forms  a  treeless  steppe;  but  at  some  little  distance 
the  river  is  again  bordered  by  a  dense  forest.  A  place  was 
soon  reached,  where  the  stream  takes  a  remarkable  bend, 
and  proceeds  for  eight  miles  in  a  north-easterly  direction. 
This  place  has  the  singular  name  of  Dyoorab-el-Esh,  or  the 
sack  of  corn.  Now,  as  the  north-east  wind  of  course  was 
adverse  to  any  north-east  progress,  it  was  necessary  that  the 
boat  should  be  towed  by  the  crew.  As  the  rope  was  being 
drawn  along  through  the  grass  on  the  banks  it  happened 
that  it  disturbed  a  swarm  of  bees.  In  a  moment,  like  a 
great  cloud,  they  bur^t  upon  the  men  who  were  dragging ; 
every  one  of  them  threw  himself  headlong  into  the  water  and 
hurried  to  regain  the  boat.  The  swarm  followed  at  their 
heels,  and  in  a  few  seconds  filled  every  nook  and  cranny  of 
the  deck.  What  a  scene  of  confusion  ensued  may  readily 
be  imagined. 

Without  any  foreboding  of  ill,  I  was  arranging  my  plants 
in  my  cabin,  when  1  hea  d  all  around  me  a  scampering 
which  I  took  at  first  to  be  merely  the  frolics  of  my  people, 
as  that  was  the  order  of  the  day.  I  called  out  to  inquire 
the  meaning  of  the  noise,  but  only  got  excited  gestures  and 
reproachful  looks  in  answer.    The  cry  of    Bees  !  bees ! " 


74  THE  HEAKT  OF  AFEICA. 

soon  broke  upon  my  ear,  and  I  proceeded  to  light  a  pipe. 
My  attempt  was  entirely  in  vain;  in  an  instant  bees  in 
thousands  are  about  me,  and  I  am  mercilessly  stung  all  over 
my  face  and  hands.  To  no  purpose  do  I  try  to  protect  my 
face  with  a  handkerchief,  and  the  more  violently  I  fling  my 
hands  about  so  much  the  more  violent  becomes  the  im- 
petuosity of  the  irritated  insects.  The  maddening  pain  is 
now  on  my  cheek,  now  in  my  eye,  now  in  my  hair.  The 
dogs  from  under  my  bed  burst  out  frantically,  overturning 
everything  in  their  way.  Losing  well  nigh  all  control  over 
myself,  I  fling  myself  in  despair  into  the  river ;  I  dive  down, 
but  all  in  vain,  for  the  stings  rain  down  still  upon  my  head. 
Not  heeding  the  warnings  of  my  people,  I  creep  through  the 
reedy  grass  to  the  swampy  bank.  The  grass  lacerates  my 
hands,  and  I  try  to  gain  the  mainland,  hoping  to  find  shelter 
in  the  woods.  All  at  once  four  powerful  arms  seize  me  and 
drag  me  back  with  such  force  that  I  think  I  must  be  choked 
in  the  mud.  I  am  compelled  to  go  back  on  board,  and  flight 
is  not  to  be  thought  of. 

In  the  cooling  moisture  I  had  so  far  recovered  my  self- 
possession,  that  it  occurred  to  me  to  drag  a  sheet  from  my 
chest,  and  this  at  last  I  found  some  protection,  but  I  had 
first  gradually  to  crush  the  bees  which  I  had  enclosed  with  me 
within  this  covering.  Meantime  by*  great  self-denial  and 
courage  on  the  part  of  my  excellent  people,  my  large  dog  was 
brought  on  board  to  me  and  covered  with  cloths ;  the  other,  an 
animal  from  Khartoom,  was  unfortunately  lost.  Cowering 
down  convulsively,  I  lingered  out  thus  three  full  hours, 
whilst  the  buzzing  continued  uninterruptedly,  and  solitary 
stings  penetrated  periodically  through  the  linen.  Everyone 
by  degrees  became  equally  passive  as  myself;  at  length  a 
perfect  silence  reigned  on  board ;  the  bees  subsided  into 
quietness.  Meanwhile,  some  courageous  men  had  crept 
stealthily  to  the  bank,  and  had  succeeded  in  setting  fire  to 
the  reeds.    The  smoke  rose  to  their  assistance,  and  thus  they 


BEE-STINGS.  75 

contrived  to  scare  away  the  bees  from  the  boat,  and,  setting 
it  afloat,  they  drove  it  to  the  other  bank.  Had  the  thouglit 
of  the  fire  occurred  at  first,  our  misfortune  would  have 
assumed  a  much  milder  character ;  but  in  the  suddenness  of 
the  attack  everyone  lost  all  presence  of  mind.  Free  from 
further  apprehension,  we  could  now  examine  our  injuries. 
With  the  help  of  a  looking-glass  and  a  pair  of  pincers  I 
extracted  all  the  stings  from  my  face  and  hands,  and  incon- 
venience in  those  places  soon  passed  away.  But  it  was 
impossible  to  discover  the  stings  in  my  hair ;  many  of  them 
had  been  broken  off  short  in  the  midst  of  the  fray,  and,  re- 
maining behind,  produced  little  ulcers  which  for  two  days 
were  acutely  painful.  Poor  Arslan  was  terribly  punished, 
especially  about  the  head  ;  but  the  stings  had  clung  harm- 
lessly in  the  long  hair  on  his  back.  I  was  really  sorry  for 
the  loss  of  my  nice  little  dog,  which  was  never  recovered, 
and  in  all  likelihood  had  been  stung  to  death.  These  mur- 
derous bees  belong  to  the  striped  variety  of  our  own  honey- 
bee. A  mishap  like  ours  has  been  seldom  experienced  in  the 
waters  of  the  White  Nile.  Consul  Petherick,  as  his  servants 
informed  me,  had  once  to  undergo  a  similar  misfortune. 
Our  own  grievance  was  not  confined  to  ourselves :  every 
boat  of  the  sixteen  which  that  day  were  sailing  in  our  track, 
was  pestered  by  the  same  infliction.  No  imagination  can 
adequately  depict  the  confusion  which  must  have  spread  in 
boats  where  were  crowded  together  from  60  to  80  men.  I 
felt  ready,  in  the  evening,  for  an  encounter  with  half  a  score 
of  buffaloes  or  a  brace  of  lions  rather  than  have  anything  more 
to  do  with  bees ;  and  this  was  a  sentiment  in  which  all  the 
ship's  company  heartily  concurred.  I  took  my  quinine  and 
awoke  refreshed  and  cheerful ;  but  several  of  the  ill-used 
members  of  our  party  were  suffering  from  violent  fever.  My 
own  freedom  from  fever  might  perchance  in  a  measure  be 
attributed  to  my  involuntary  vapour-bath.  I  had  been 
sitting  muffled  up  for  some  hours  in  my  wet  clothes  through 


76  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

the  heat  of  the  day,  and  no  vapour  bath  more  effectual  could 
be  contrived.  Among  the  crews  of  the  boats  which  followed 
us  there  were  two  deaths,  which  ensued  as  the  result  of  the 
injuries  w^hich  had  been  sustained. 

On  the  day  of  the  bee-visitation  another  insect  had  likewise 
presented  itself,  which  inflicted  some  sharpish  stings,  although 
they  were  not  attended  by  any  continuous  annoyance.  It 
was  in  itself  an  insignificant  gadfly  (Tahanus),  which  here 
appears  to  play  the  part  of  the  tsetse-fly,  the  natives  de-  , 
daring  of  it  that  it  injures  the  cattle.  It  is  widely  diffused 
in  the  regions  through  which  I  travelled,  and  where  the 
tsetse  seems  to  fail. 

Our  second  day  of  misadventure  came  to  an  end  ;  on  the 
following  morning  we  were  again  passing  along  banks  void 
of  trees.  Towards  midday  we  made  a  pause  on  the  right 
bank  by  a  charming  grove,  where  trailing  creepers  (Lejota- . 
denia)  dropped  their  pendants  perpendicularly  down,  and 
bound  the  spreading  boughs  of  the  Shubahi  acacias  {A.  veru- 
gera)  to  the  ground,  an  apparatus  admirably  adapted  to  the 
gymnastic  frolics  of  the  little  apes.  Wherever  anyone 
ventures  to  penetrate  into  the  thickets  he  will  not  fail  to 
find  countless  traces  of  animal  life ;  snake-skins  and  feathers 
of  many  a  species  are  scattered  over  the^  ground ;  tortoise- 
shells  and  fish-bones,  the  remains  of  the  eagle's  feast ;  bones 
of  animals ;  occasionally  even  human  skeletons,  perfectly 
entire.  On  the  shore  are  the  shell-fish  left  by  the  high 
water,  especially  the  homes  of  the  Ampularia  {A.  Wernei)  as 
large  as  one's  fist,  in  its  way  a  giant  amongst  the  mollusks  of 
the  mighty  river. 

Warned  by  our  experience  we  were  ever  on  the  alert  • 
against  bees,  keeping  in  readiness  a  bundle  of  straw  and  some 
faggots,  in  order  to  be  able  to  kindle  the  dry  grass  imme- 
diately we  had  accomplished  our  excursion  on  the  land. 
Towards  midday  we  perceived  with  horror  more  bees  in  the 
shore-grass,  and  lost  no  time  in  getting  across  to  the  left 


AMBATCH  CANOES. 


77 


bank.  Here  we  came  across  numbers  of  Shillooks  fishing  in 
their  light  canoes  of  ambatch ;  darting  through  the  water 
almost  as  swiftly  as  the  fish  themselves.  This  speed  does  not, 
however,  prevent  them  from  having  a  waddling  movement, 
something  like  a  duck,  in  their  light  craft.  So  light  are 
these  canoes  that  one  man  can  carry  three  of  them  on  his 
shoulder,  although  each  canoe  is  capable  of  holding  three 
men.  From  a  few  dozen  shoots  of  ambatch  of  about  three 
years'  growth,  a  canoe  of  this  kind  can  be  easily  produced ;  at 
about  six  feet  high  the  stem  goes  rapidly  off  to  a  point,  so 
that  a  bundle  of  them  needs  only  be  tied  together  at  the 
extremities,  and  there  is  at  once  attained  a  curve  that  would 
grace  a  gondola.*    To  use  these  canoes  adroitly  requires  con- 


Ambatch  Canoe. 


siderable  practice,  as  the  least  shifting  of  the  centre  of 
gravity  is  made  at  the  risk  of  a  capsize.  Nevertheless,  they 
afforded  me  good  service  by  taking  me  to  the  bank  with  dry 
feet,  and  by  enabling  me  to  make  botanical  collections  from 
the  floating  bushes.  When  the  Shillook  has  come  to  the  end 
of  his  voyage,  he  seizes  his  gondola  like  an  ancient  warrior 
might  his  shield.  He  carries  it,  partly  to  ensure  its  safety 
and  partly  to  allow  it  to  dry,  because  the  ambatch  wood  easily 
imbibes  moisture  and  becomes  saturated. 

During  our  wanderings  the  crew  had  made  a  valuable 


*  The  accompanying  illustration  represents  a  similar  canoe,  weighing 
about  40  lbs. 

Vol.  I.— 7 


78 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


discovery  to  replace  the  cracked  middle  of  our  long  sailyard. 
It  consisted  of  a  tolerably  straight,  though  much  knotted, 
stem  of  Balanites ;  it  was  only  10  feet  long,  but  was  doubt- 
less found  with  much  trouble,  so  rare  are  any  trees  that  are 
straight.  The  portion  of  the  sailyard  which  had  become 
useless  now  fell  under  the  axe;  it  was  full  of  cracks,  and 
could  no  longer  be  held  together  by  cow  hide ;  the  old  bit 
of  northern  pinewood,  which  had  done  service  for  years  on 
no  one  knows  how  many  vessels  or  in  how  many  latitudes, 
had  now  reached  the  limit  of  its  destiny  here  on  the  "White 
Nile,  and  was  to  be  committed  to  the  flames.  Peace  to  its 
ashes ! 

The  width  of  the  cultivated  country  appears  to  be  about 
ten  miles,  the  whole  of  the  left  shore  being  dotted  with 
numerous  small  villages.  We  were  not  far  from  Fashoda, 
the  seat  of  the  provincial  government,  and  for  the  first  time 
availed  ourselves  of  our  store  of  glass  beads  to  open  a  lively 
trade  with  the  Shillooks.  But  the  beads  had  already  so  much 
deteriorated  in  value  that  we  were  obliged  to  buy  eggs, 
fowls,  and  milk,  quite  at  Khartoom  market  prices.  The 
poor  savages  insisted  upon  this  as  only  right  and  fair;  it 
was  in  consequence  of  their  transition  from  the  monkey  age 
of  man — the  termination,  as  it  were,  to  them  of  the  stone 
and  bronze  period — directly  into  the  advanced  condition  of 
citizens  and  payers  of  taxes. 

Towards  midday  on  the  24th  of  January  we  reached 
Fashoda,  and  thus,  after  a  prosperous  progress,  arrived  at 
the  limit  of  the  Egyptian  empire.  Fashoda  is  the  seat  of 
a  Mudir,  provided  with  a  garrison  for  the  maintenance  of 
Egyptian  power.  The  complete  subjection  of  the  entire 
Shiliook  country  did  not,  however,  follow  until  two  years 
later.  The  governor  for  a  considerable  time  resided  six 
leagues  from  the  town,  where  he  was  quartered  with  500 
soldiers,  in  order  to  bring  to  reason  the  southern  ShiUooks, 
who  were  by  no  means  inclined  to  submit.    During  this 


FASHODA. 


79 


time  the  armed  force  in  Fashoda  did  not  consist  of  more 
than  200  men. 

The  erection  of  anything  like  a  town  had  only  been  begun 
within  the  last  two  years.  The  place  was  formerly  called 
Denab,  and  now  consisted  of  merely  a  large  mass  of  conical 
huts  of  straw,  besides  the  remarkable  structure  which  con- 
stituted the  fort.  The  long  boundary  walls  of  the  fort,  with 
their  hundreds  of  waterspouts,  looked  at  a  distance  as  though 
they  were  mounted  with  so  many  cannon,  and  presented  a 
formidable  appearance.  In  reality  the  number  of  cannon 
which  the  fort  could  boast  was  only  four,  the  rest  of  the  field 
ordnance  being  in  the  camp  of  the  Mudir.  His  deputy 
received  me  very  courteously.  As  a  present  he  sent  me  at 
once'  two  fat  Avethers,  and  placed  at  my  disposal  his  boats, 
mules,  horses,  soldiers — in  short,  everything  that  could  assist 
me  to  inspect  the  neighbourhood  in  comfort. 

On  account  of  the  shallowness  of  the  water  on  the  side  on 
which  the  town  is  built,  the  boat  was  moored  close  by  a 
narrow  island  which  was  connected  with  the  mainland  by  a 
kind  of  jetty  composed  of  faggots.  This  at  the  time  of  high 
water  serves  as  a  mole  for  any  boats  that  may  arrive,  which 
are  then  able  to  lie.  close  alongside  the  doors.  Before  the 
wails  of  the  town,  on  a  terrace  left  dry  by  the  sunken  flood, 
extend  fields  and  vegetable  gardens,  which  the  Governor, 
following  the  Egyptian  fashion,  has  caused  to  be  planted.* 
This  is  the  southern  limit  of  the  wheat  culture  in  the  Eastern 
Soudan. 

The  neighbouring  country  consists  of  steppes,  over  which, 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  larger  and  smaller  groups  of  Shil- 
look  huts  rise  from  the  grass.  The  demand  of  wood  for  the 
use  of  the  troops  has  caused  the  larger  trees  everywhere  to 
be  miserably  mutilated,  and  the  few  boats  which  are  at  the 


*  The  illustration  represents  the  different  well-like  Shadoofs  used  for 
irrigation. 


80 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


disposal  of  the  Government  have  enough  to  do  in  pro- 
curing fuel  for  the  heating  of  the  steamer  stationed  there. 
Every  branch  as  it  grows  is  immediately  cut  off,  and  the 
naked  stems  of  the  acacias,  once  so  magnificent  on  account 
of  their  massive  proportions,  are  alone  able  to  defy  the 
meagre  tools  Fashoda  can  supply. 

For  three  years,  it  is  said,  there  has  been  an  undisturbed 
peace  here,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  environs  of  Fashoda ;  up 
to  that  time,  outbreaks  more  or  less  violent,  on  the  part  of 


View  of  Fashoda. 


the  negro  settlers,  had  been  the  order  of  the  day.  Near  a 
withered  Adansonia,  less  than  a  mile  from  the  walls,  the 
spot  was  pointed  out  to  me  where  the  cannon  of  the  fortress 
was  for  the  last  time  called  into  action.  A  well-directed 
shot  had  mown  down  fifteen  men  at  once  from  a  single  party 
who  were  taking  advantage  of  the  rainy  season  and  the  high 
grass  to  make  an  attack.  The  fatal  shot  was  decisive,  and 
the  attack  was  abandoned.  From  among  the  bones  of  the 
Shillooks  killed  on  that  day  I  selected  from  a  neighbouring 


TENT  ON  THE  BANK. 


81 


pit  nine  skulls  in  good  preservation,  the  investigation  of 
which  has  furnished  some  material  evidence  towards  the 
ethnography  of  Africa. 

All  boats  are  compelled  to*  stop  for  several  days  at  Fashoda, 
partly  to  complete  their  corn-stores,  and  partly  on  account 
of  the  poll-tax,  to  submit  to  an  inspection  of  the  papers, 
which  contain  the  lists  of  the  crew  and  soldiers.  Hence  it 
happens  that  throughout  January  and  February  Fashoda  life 
is  pretty  brisk.  Egyptian  galley-slaves,  wearing  no  fetters — 
escape  being  as  difficult  as  in  Siberia — loitered  on  the  shore 
begging,  and  pestered  me  with  scraps  of  French  and  Italian. 
This  I  found  by  no  means  agreeable.  After  the  cramped 
dimensions  of  my  cabin,  I  longed  for  wider  freedom  to  my 
limbs ;  accordingly  I  had  a  tent  pitched  upon  the  bank, 
but  from  fear  of  thieves  it  was  obliged  to  be  continually 
guarded  by  men  with  loaded  guns.  Many  boats  came  and 
went,  wending  their  way  to  the  Upper  Nile  waters ;  all 
reported  that  more  or  less  they  had  been  sufferers  from  the 
bees  in  Dyoorab-el-Esh.  I  was  told  that  the  whole  crew  of 
one  boat  was  obliged  to  remain  in  the  water  from  noon  till 
evening,  now  and  then  raising  their  heads  to  get  air,  but 
always  under  the  penalty  of  getting  some  dozen  fresh  stings. 

The  weather  during  these  days  was  very  cool,  for  a  strong- 
north-east  wind  blew  incessantly  with  such  violence,  that  at 
daybreak  we  had  usually  a  temperature  of  only  62°  Fahr. 
Even  the  hippopotamuses  seemed  to  find  it  over  cool  in  the 
water,  for  at  sunrise  they  appeared  en  masse  on  a  neighbour- 
ing sandbank:  amongst  them  I  found  a  suitable  target  on 
which  to  try  the  effect  of  the  full-sized  ball  which  my  large 
elephant  gun  carried. 

I  was  continually  bewildered  by  the  jokes  and  buffoonery 
of  the  crews,  for  whom  jesting  seemed  a  necessity  of  life. 
Nothing  was  done  without  bad  puns.  There  was  an  undying 
esprit  amusanty  whose  flow  was  unchecked  alike  by  day  and 
night.    Whenever  any  one  did  a  thing  which  could  be  made 


82 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


ridiculous,  he  was  received  with  a  volley  of  cheers  of  "  Hue ! 
hue ! "  (there  he  is).  The  merissa  beer  of  Fashoda,  served  out 
in  gourd-shells — pints  and  pots  being  here  unknown— natu- 
rally is  not  without  its  influence  in  promoting  this  perpetual 
folly.  The  love  of  jocoseness  among  these  people  is  not 
confined  to  the  young,  but  makes  them,  even  when  advanced 
in  years,  as  merry  and  as  na'ive  as  children. 

Some  Arab  names  are  as  generally  common  as  our  own 
Brown  and  Smith  ;  on  our  boat  alone  we  had  six  Mohammeds  ; 
for  distinction,  therefore,  each  of  these  had  to  be  assigned  his 
special  nickname.  One  w^as  called  Abu-Asherah  (the  man 
with  ten  fathers)  ;  another  Berdawily  (the  chilly  one).  The 
others  were  designated  by  epithets  more  or  less  poetical,  as 
father  of  the  virgin,  or  sheikh  of  the  women.  My  Mohammed, 
who  had  the  rencontre  with  the  buffalo,  was  sufficiently  dis- 
tinguished by  his  appellation  of  Amin,  the  faithful,  but  he 
was  also  jocosely  known  as  "  the  swimmer."  He  had  once 
been  the  means  of  losing  a  boat  which  a  merchant  had 
entrusted  to  his  care,  and  had  only  escaped  by  swimming  to 
shore,  a  feat  which  acquired  for  him  the  satire  associated 
with  his  name. 

An  occurrence,  which  I  can  hardly  say  surprised  me,  but 
which  I  had  expected  hourly  from  amongst  the  Arab  idlers, 
alarmed  us  on  the  first  evening  of  our  arrival.  The  gun  of 
one  of  our  soldiers  went  off  accidentally,  and  the  ball 
whistled  across  our  boat.  On  the  following  morning,  through 
similar  carelessness,  a  slave  of  one  of  the  Government 
officials  received  a  shot  through  his  arm,  for  which  the 
offender  had  to  pay  150  dollars,  a  sum  which  had  to  be 
raised  from  the  entire  crew,  because,  as  they  said,  they  were 
all  liable  to  the  same  accident.  I  had  myself  only  narrowly- 
escaped  being  hit  by  the  first  mishap,  and  the  captain 
(although  generally  he  was  most  considerate  towards  his 
crew),  acting  as  Ghattas'  agent,  fell  with  great  severity  upon 
the  offender.    By  the  judgment  of  the  majority,  to  which 


KILLING  A  BOA. 


83 


the  Nubians  ever  appeal,  the  fellow  was  assigned  some  dozen 
lashes  of  the  kurbatfh,  which  he  was  thrown  down  on  the 
deck  to  receive,  and  which  he  bore  without  a  murmur. 

The  right  side  of  the  main  stream  at  Fashoda  is  not  the 
mainland,  but  is  a  long  island,  which  extends  for  several 
leagues  above  and  below.  Beyond  the  true  eastern  shore 
the  Dinka  are  said  to  be  settled  in  extensive  villages,  and  at 
that  time  still  furnished  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  slaves  to 
the  marauding  expeditions  of  the  garrison  of  Fashoda.  In 
1870,  Baker  succeeded  in  putting  an  end  to  this  disorder,  the 
knowledge  of  which  penetrated  to  the  most  remote  tribes. 
The  Dinka  tribes  of  that  region  are  called  Dang-Yoht,  Dang- 
Yahl,  Behr,  Nyell,  and  Abelang. 

The  shore  opposite  Fashoda  contains  wide  bush-forests  and 
unlimited  supplies  of  wood.*  During  one  of  my  excursions 
thither  I  killed  an  enormous  African  boa,  the  Python 
Sebse.  It  was  about  fifteen  feet  in  length,  not  above  the 
average  size  to  which  the  species  attains ;  in  Gallabat  I  have 
frequently  seen  them  over  twenty  feet.  The  speedy  death 
of  this  huge  reptile  by  a  charge  of  heavy  shot,  of  which 
only  four  grains  hit,  struck  me  as  very  remarkable.  The 
skin  was  brilliantly  spotted,  and  yielded  admirable  material 
for  making  a  waterproof  gun-case. 


CHAPTEK  III. 


Camp  of  the  Mudir.  A  negro  king.  .Campaigns.  Future  of  the  country. 
A  wise  judge.  The  shrieking  priest.  Gum-arabic.  The  melodious  tree. 
Mohammed  Aljoo-Sammat.  Boats  on  the  flight.  Treachery  of  the  Shillooks. 
General  market.  Excuse  for  plunder.  First  papyrus.  Caesar  among  the 
pirates.  Useless  attempts  to  proceed.  A  world  of  grass.  Hippopotamuses 
in  a  fright.  The  last  obstacle.  Depreciation  of  the  Gazelle  stream.  Bon- 
mot  of  the  Viceroy.  Ghattas'  namesake.  The  slipper-shape.  Description 
oftheNueir.  Analogy  between  man  ^nd  beast.  Cactus-type  of  Euphor- 
hise.  The  Bahr-el-Arab  a  mainstream.  Vallisneria  meadows.  Arrival  in 
Port  Eek.  True  nature  of  the  Gazelle.  Discovery  of  the  Meshera. 
Deadly  climate  and  its  victims.  Le  Saint.  Features  of  the  scenery.  The 
old  queen  and  her  prince  consort.    Koyal  gifts.    Fishes  and  birds. 

I  KEMAINED  nine  days  in  Fashoda,  a  residence  to  which  the 
non-arrival  of  the  boats  bound  for  the  Gazelle  River  com- 
pelled US,  because  our  force  was  not  sufficiently  numerous  to 
overcome  by  ourselves  the  obstacles  which  the  Sett,"  or 
grass-barrier,  would  present,  and  also  inadequate  for  protec- 
tion against  an  attack,  which  was  not  improbable,  from  the 
hitherto  unsubdued  residents. 

A  wider  ramble,  in  which  I  inspected  several  Shillook 
villages,  led  me  farther  into  the  country,  and  gave  me  some 
conception  of  its  thronging  population.  The  Turkish  officer, 
who  welcomed  me  like  a  countryman  because  I  was  Euro 
pean,  attended  me,  followed  by  a  number  of  soldiers,  all  of 
us  being  mounted.  Although  throughout  this  tour,  I  was 
not  offered  even  a  bowl  of  fresh  milk,  and  saw  little  beyond 
what  had  already  come  under  my  observation,  viz.,  grey  and 
rusty-red  beings,  innumerable  conical  huts,  and  countless 
herds  of  cattle ;  yet  I  could  not  be  otherwise  than  im- 


SHILLOOK  STATISTICS. 


85 


pressed  by  various  details  which  appeared  characteristic  of 
this  people,  now  incorporated  as  Egyptian  subjects,  and  which 
I  shall  proceed  to  relate. 

The  Shillook  tribe  inhabits  the  entire  left  bank  of  the 
White  Nile,  occupying  a  territory  about  200  miles  long  and 
about  ten  miles  wide,  and  which  extends  right  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Gazelle  Kiver.  Hemmed  in  by  the  Baggara  on  the 
west,  it  is  prevented  by  the  river  from  extending  itself  farther 
eastward,  and  only  the  lower  course  of  the  Sobat  has  any  of 
the  Shillooks  for  its  denizens.  Their  subjection  to  Egyptian 
government,  which  was  completed  in  1871,  has  caused  a 
census  to  be  taken  of  all  the  villages  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Nile,  which  resulted  in  an  estimate  of  about  3000.  Taking 
the  character  of  the  villages  into  account  this  would  give  a 
total  of  above  a  million  souls  for  this  portion  of  the  Shillooks 
alone.  Now  the  Shillook  land,  which  lies  upon  the  White 
Nile,  has  an  extent  of  hardly  less  than  2000  square  miles, 
and  when  the  number  of  heads  upon  this  is  compared  with 
those  in  the  populous  districts  of  Europe  we  are  justified  in 
reckoning  from  600  to  625  to  a  sqi^are  mile ;  a  result  alto- 
gether similar  is  arrived  at  from  a  reckoning  based  on  the 
estimate  of  there  being  3000  villages,  each  village  having 
huts  varying  in  number  from  45  to  200,  and  each  hut 
averaging  4  or  5  occupants ;  this  would  give  a  total  of  about 
1,200,000.  This,  in  fact,  is  an  estimate  corresponding  en- 
tirely with  what  the  Mudir  of  Fashoda,  who  was  conversant 
with  the  details  of  all  state  affairs,  had  already  communi- 
cated to  me  in  1869. 

No  known  part  of  Africa,  scarcely  even  the  narrow  valley 
of  the  Nile  in  Egypt,  has  a  density  of  population  so  great ; 
but  a  similar  condition  of  circumstances,  so  favourable  to  the 
support  of  a  teeming  population,  is  perhaps  without  a 
parallel  in  the  world.  Everything  which  contributes  to  the 
exuberance  of  life  here  finds  a  concentrated  field — agri- 
culture, pasturage,  fishing,  and  the  chase.    Agriculture  is 


86 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


rendered  easy  by  the  natural  fertility  of  the  soil,  by  the 
recurrence  of  the  rainy  seasons,  by  irrigation  effected  by  the 
rising  of  the  riveB,  assisted  by  numerous  canals,  and  by  an 
atmosphere  ordinarily  so  overclouded  as '  to  moderate  the 
radiance  of  the  sun,  and  to  retain  throughout  the  year  per- 
petual moisture.  Of  fishing  there  is  plenty.  There  are 
crocodiles  and  hippopotamuses  in  abundance.  Across  the 
river  there  is  a  free  and  open  chase  over  wildernesses  which 
would  advantageously  be  built  upon,  but  for  the  hostility  of 
the  neighbouring  Dinka.  The  pasture  lands  are  on  the  same 
side  of  the  river  as  the  dwellings  ;  they  are  just  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  cultivated  plots ;  occasionally  they  are  subject 
to  winter  drought,  and  at  times  liable  to  incursions  from  the 
Baggara ;  but  altogether  they  are  invaluable  as  supplying 
daily  resorts  for  the  cattle. 

Still  further  proof  of  the  superabundance  of  population  of 
the  Shillooks  is  manifest  from  the  emigration  which  goes 
forward  in  a  south-westerly  direction,  where  considerable 
numbers  of  them,  the  Dembo  and  Dyoor,  have  settled  on 
the  border-lands  between  the  Bongo  and  Dinka.  Of  these, 
however,  I  will  speak  hereafter;  I  will  only  pause  now  to 
remark  how,  in  vivid  contrast  to  the  monotonous  uniformity 
of  nature  which  ordinarily  asserts  itself  througliout  vast 
tracts  of  Central  Africa,  there  are  even  exhibited  diversities 
of  human  development,  differences  of  dialect,  and  pecu- 
liarities of  bodily  conformation.  In  the  Shillook  territory 
there  are  probably  no  less  than  600  residents  to  the  square 
mile,  whilst  in  Bongo-land,  within  180  miles  to  the  south-west, 
there  would  be  found  hardly  a  dozen  occupants  on  an  equal 
area.  Again,  between  lat.  5°  and  1°  N.,  within  a  range  of  not 
more  than  300  miles,  are  to  be  found  examples  of  the  largest 
and  of  the  smallest  races  of  mankind — the  Bari  and  the 
Akkah,  of  which  the  former  might  rival  the  Patagonians  in 
stature,  the  latter  being  scarcely  taller  than  Esquimaux,  and 
considerably  below  a  medium  height. 


SHILLOOK  VILLAGES. 


87 


It  should  be  appended  to  what  has  been  said  about  the 
villages,  that  the  entire  west  bank  of  the  Nile,  as  far  as  the 
confines  of  the  district  reach,  assumes  the  appearance  of  one 
single  village,  of  which  the  sections  are  separated  by  inter- 
vals varying  from  300  to  1000  paces.  These  clusters  of  huts 
are  built  with  surprising  regularity,  and  are  so  closely 
crowded  together  that  they  cannot  fail  to  suggest  the  com- 
parison with  a  thick  mass  of  fungus  or  mushrooms.  Every 
village  has  its  overseer,  whilst  the  overseers  of  fifty  or 
seventy,  or  sometimes  of  100  villages,  are  subject  to  a  super- 
intendent, who  has  the  control  of  what  may  be  called  a 
"  district,"  and  of  such  districts  there  are  well  nigh  a  hun- 
dred, each  of  them  distinguished  by  its  particular  name. 
One  of  the  descendants  of  the  ancient  kings  had  been  re- 
duced to  entire  subjection  under  the  Government ;  another  at 
the  period  of  my  first  visit  was  still  resisting  to  the  utmost. 

In  the  centre  of  each  village  there  is  a  circular  space 
where,  evening  after  evening,  the  inhabitants  congregate, 
and,  either  stretched  upon  hides  or  squatting  down  on  mats 
of  am  batch,  inhale  the  vapour  from  burning  heaps  of  cow-dung 
to  keep  off  the  flies,  or  from  pipes  with  enormous  clay  bowls 
smoke  the  tobacco  of  the  country. 

In  these  spaces  there  is  frequently  erected  the  great  stem 
of  a  tree,  on  which  according  to  common  African  usage 
kettledrums  are  hung  and  used  for  the  purpose  of  warning 
the  inhabitants  of  any  impending  danger,  and  of  communi- 
cating intelligence  to  the  neighbourhood.  Most  of  the 
negro  tribes  are  distinguished  by  the  form  of  their  huts. 
The  huts  of  the  Shillooks  are  built  with  higher  walls  than 
those  of  the  Dinka,  and,  as  an  ordinary  rule,  are  of  smaller 
circumference ;  the  conical  roofs  do  not  rise  to  a  peak,  but 
are  rather  in  the  shape  of  flattened  domes,  and  in  this  way  it 
is  that  they  acquire  the  singular  resenablance  to  mushrooms 
of  which  I  have  spoken.  The  villages  are  not  enclosed  ex- 
ternally, but  are  bounded  by  fences  made  'of  straw-mats 


88 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


running  between  the  closely-crammed  houses,  and  which 
serve  for  shelter  to  the  cattle  of  individual  householders. 
Great  grazing-plots,  such  as  the  larger  villages  combine  to 
provide  for  the  benefit  of  the  community,  and  exist  amongst 
the  Dinka,  cannot  be  secured  for  the  Shillooks,  because  they 
are  comparatively  limited  for  space. 

Now  although  these  savages  are  altogether  unacquainted 
with  the  refined  cosmetics  of  Europe,  they  make  use  of 
cosmetics  of  their  own  ;  viz.,  a  coating  of  ashes  for  protection 
against  insects.  When  the  ashes  are  prepared  from  wood 
they  render  the  body  perfectly  grey,  and  hereby  are  known 
the  poor ;  when  the  ashes  are  obtained  from  cow-dung  they 
give  a  rusty-red  tint,  the  hue  of  red  devils,  and  hereby  can 
be  recognised  the  landowners.  Ashes,  dung,  and  the  urine 
of  cows  are  the  indispensable  requisites  of  the  toilet.  The 
item  last  named  affects  the  nose  of  the  stranger  rather  un- 
pleasantly when  he  makes  use  of  any  of  their  milk-vessels,  as, 
according  to  a  regular  African  habit,  they  are  washed  with 
it,  probably  to  compensate  for  a  lack  of  salt. 

The  external  appearance  of  the  Shillooks,  therefore,  is  by 
no  means  agreeable,  but  rather  offensive  to  the  beholder, 
who  will  hardly  fail  to  notice  amongst  all  the  negro  people 
who  dwell  in  the  plains  of  the  Upper  Nile  a  singular  want 
of  the  lower  incisor  teeth,  which  in  early  life  are  always 
broken  off.  Their  physiognomy  hardly  offers  that  decided 
negro  type  which  their  swarthy  complexion  would  lead  one 
to  expect.  To  judge  by  the  shape  of  the  skull,  this  people 
belongs  to  the  less  degraded  races  of  Central  Africa,  which 
are  distinguished  from  other  negro  stocks  by  a  smaller 
breadth  of  jaw  and  by  a  less  decided  narrowness  of  head. 
A  comparison  which  I  made  with  the  skulls  which  I  had 
collected  and  some  which  were  taken  from  ancient  Egyptian 
graves,  and  with  the  heads  of  living  fellahs,  established  the 
fact  of  a  remarkable  resemblance.  According  to  Professor 
R.  Hartmann  of  Berlin,  the  similarity  between  the  heads  of 


SHILLOOK  MEN. 


89 


ancient  Egyptians  and  the  Shillooks  rests  on  the  projection 
of  the  nasal  bones ;  to  have  these  so  deeply  set  as  to  appear 
compressed  by  the  forehead,  would  seem  to  be  discordant 
with  the  general  type  of  negro  races,  \yithout  pronouncing 
any  decided  opinion  as  to  the  actual  relationship  of  the  Egyp- 
tian to  the  Shillook,  that  eminent  savant  thinks  that  he  at 
least  discerns  a  fresh  proof  of  an  unquestionable  African  origin 
of  the  latter. 

Entirely  bare  of  clothing,  the  bodies  of  the  men  would  not 
of  themselves  be  ungraceful,  but  through  the  perpetual 
plastering  over  with  ashes,  they  assume  a  thoroughly 
diabolical  aspect.  The  movements  of  their  lean  bony  limbs 
are  so  languid,  and  their  repose  so  perfect,  as  not  rarely  to 
give  the  Shillooks  the  resemblance  of  mummies ;  and  who- 
ever comes  as  a  novice  amongst  them  can  hardly  resist  the 
impression  that  in  gazing  at  these  ash-grey  forms  he  is  look- 
ing upon  mouldering  corpses  rather  than  upon  living  beings. 

The  stature  of  the  Shillook  is  very  moderate,  and,  as  a 
general  rule,  is  short  compared  with  that  of  the  lank  and 
long-legged  Dinka. 

Like  most  of  the  naked  and  half-naked  Africans  they 
devote  the  greatest  attention  to  the  arrangement  of  their 
hair ;  on  every  other  portion  of  the  body  all  growth  of  hair  is 
stopped  by  its  being  all  carefully  plucked  out  at  the  very 
first  appearance.  As  has  been  already  observed,  amongst  the 
men  the  repeated  application  of  clay,  gum,  or  dung,  so 
effectually  clots  the  hair  together  that  it  retains  as  it  were 
voluntarily  the  desired  form ;  at  one  time  like  a  comb,  at 
another  like  a  helmet,  or,  it  may  be,  like  a  fan.  Many  of 
the  Shillook  men  present  in  this  respect  a  great  variety.  A 
good  many  wear  transversely  across  the  skull  a  comb  as 
broad  as  a  man's  hand,  which,  like  a  nimbus  of  tin,  stretches 
from  ear  to  ear,  and  terminates  behind  in  two  drooping 
circular  lappets.  Occasionally  there  are  heads  for  which  one 
comb  does  not  suffice,  and  on  these  several  combs,  parallel  to 


90 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


one  another  at  small  intervals  are  arranged  in  lines.  There 
is  a  third  form,  far  from  uncommon,  than  which  nothing  can 
be  more  grotesque.  It  may  be  compared  to  the  crest  of  a 
guinea  fowl,  of  which  it  is  an  obvious  imitation;  just  as 
among  ourselves  many  a  way  of  dressing  the  hair  would 
seem  to  be  designed  by  taking  some  animal  form  for  a 
model. 

Every  now  and  then,  however,  one  meets  with  heads  of 
which  the  hair  is  closely  cropped.  However  it  may  have 
happened,  whether  from  illness  or  from  some  misadventure  in 
dressing  the  hair,  or  perhaps  from  a  fall  of  which  the  conse- 
quence has  been  an  accident  to  the  ponderous  head-gear,  I 
hardly  know  how,  but  something  always  seems  wanting  to 
such  heads.  In  such  cases  there  is  frequently  seen  a  comical- 
looking  bandage  fixed  over  the  brow,  forming  a  shade  for  the 
eyes,  and  which  is  made  of  a  giraffe's  foxy-red  mane  clipped 
short.  This  has  been  elsewhere  observed,  and  is  not  unknown 
amongst  the  Kaffirs  of  South  Africa.  Thus  much  for  the 
men. 

As  far  as  regards  the  women — I  saw  none  except  those 
whose  short-cropped  hair  appeared  stippled  over  with  fresh- 
sprouting  woolly  locks,  and  resembled  the  skin  of  a  new-born 
lamb,  like  the  "  Astrachan  "  of  commerce.  The  women  do 
not  go  entirely  naked,  but  wear  an  apron  of  calf-skin,  which 
is  bound  round  their  loins,  and  reaches  to  their  knees. 

Just  like  the  Dinka,  whose  external  habits,  apart  from 
their  hair-combs,  they  would  appear  almost  entirely  to 
follow,  every  man  amongst  them  ordinarily  carries  a  club- 
shaped  crutch,  nearly  three  feet  in  length,  with  a  heavy 
round  knob  at  its  upper  end,  but  which  tapers  down  to  a 
point  at  the  other  extremity,  so  that  it  resembles  a  gigantic 
nail.  Their  only  arms  are  their  long  spiked  lances,  of  which 
(to  judge  from  the  equivalents  taken  in  exchange)  one  is 
valued  at  a  Maria  Theresa  dollar.  Bows  and  arrows  are  just  as 
unknown  amongst  theba  as  amongst  the  neighbouring  Dinka, 


SHILLOOK  ANIMALS. 


91 


whilst,  on  the  contrary,  amongst  the  Nueir  they  are  the  chief 
weapons. 

The  domestic  animals  which  the  Shillooks  breed  are  oxen, 
sheep,  and  goats,  the  same  kinds  as  hereafter  we  shall  find 
amongst  the  Dinka  ;  besides  these,  they  keep  poultry  and 
dogs;  other  animals  are  scarce,  and  probably  could  not 
endure  the  climate.  Throughout  the  country  dogs  abound, 
in  shape  like  greyhounds,  but  in  size  hardly  equal  to  our 
pointers.  They  are  almost  always  of  a  foxy-red  colour,  with 
a  black  muzzle,  much  elongated ;  they  are  short-haired  and 
sleek,  and  have  long  tails,  smooth  as  those  of  rats ;  their 
ears  are  tolerably  long,  the  upper  portion  being  flabby  and 
ragged,  and  therefore  drooping  forward.  Almost  beyond 
example  in  their  activity  in  leaping  and  running,  so  fleet  are 
they  that  with  the  greatest  ease  they  outrun  the  gazelle,  and 
are  everywhere  of  service  in  the  chase  ;  over  the  earth- walls 
ten  feet  high,  and  over  ant-hills,  they  bound  with  the  celerity 
of  cats,  and  can  jump  three  or  four  times  the  length  of  their 
own  slim  bodies.  I  kept  a  number  of  genuine  Shillook  dogs, 
which  subsequently  did  very  well  in  the  farther  interior, 
and  increased  considerably.  Like  all  dogs  of  the  Nile  dis- 
trict, from  the  Egyptian  pariah  to  the  village  cur  of  the 
Soudan,  this  breed  is  always  found  to  be  deficient  in  the  dew- 
claws  of  the  hind  foot,  which  always  exist  in  our  European 
dogs.  As  a  general  rule,  it  may  be  said  that  the  Shillook 
dog  differs  little  from  the  races  of  the  Bedouins  of  Kordofan 
and  of  Sennaar. 

The  only  conception  which  the  Shillook  entertain  of  a 
higher  existence  is  limited  to  their  reverence  for  a  certain 
hero,  who  is  called  the  Father  of  their  race,  and  who  is 
supposed  to  have  conducted  them  to  the  land  which  they  at 
present  occupy.  In  case  of  famine,  or  in  order  that  they 
may  have  rain,  or  that  they  may  reap  a  good  harvest,  they 
call  upon  him  by  name.  They  imagine  of  the  dead  that 
they  are  lingering  amongst  the  living  and  still  attend  them. 


92 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


It  is  with  them  as  with  other  uncultivated  children  of  nature, 
that  old  traditions  and  veneration  of  ancestors  supply  the 
place  of  religious  legends  or  ethic  system. 

Late  in  the  evening  of  the  1st  of  February  we  left  Fashoda, 
and  proceeded,  without  using  the  sail,  for  the  greatest  part  of 
the  night  along  the  left  bank.  At  daybreak  we  arrived  at 
the  Egyptian  camp.  We  were  received  with  singing,  shout- 
ing, and  the  braying  of  trumpets.  I  was  conducted  by  the 
Governor  to  his  tent,  and  whilst,  hour  after  hour,  we  smoked 
our  pipes  in  company,  I  related  to  him  the  most  recent 
events  in  the  political  world.  After  talking  to  him  about 
the  sources  of  the  Nile,  and  the  campaign  of  the  English  in 
.  Abyssinia,  I  told  him  of  the  events  of  the  "  Seven  Days'  War,'' 
in  return  for  which  I  was  presented  with  a  fine  bullock  and 
several  sheep  and  goats.  The  encampment,  as  I  found,  con- 
sisted of  some  huts  erected  with  straw  in  a  very  off-hand 
way,  the  irregular  forms  of  which  contrasted  very  disad- 
vantageously  with  the  symmetrical  regularity  which  is  so 
conspicuous  in  the  dwellings  of  the  Shillooks.  Military  tents 
and  awnings  of  sedge  completed  the  equipment  of  the  camp. 
An  ordinary  thorn  hedge  with  two  loopholes,  in  which  a 
cannon  was  always  placed,  protected  the  spot,  which  was  close 
to  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  In  the  Mudir's  verandah  I  also 
made  acquaintance  with  the  Shillook  chief,  to  whom  I  before 
alluded,  who  had  entirely  surrendered  to  the  Egyptian 
Government,  and  was  now,  as  the  Governor  expressed  him- 
self, "  coming  to  his  senses."  There  was  no  external  indica- 
tion* whatever  of  his  rank,  except  a  miserable  rag  which 
hung  about  his  loins,  or  the  common  sandals  which  he  wore, 
might  be  considered  such.  His  short-cropped  hair  had  no 
covering ;  his  neck  had  a  row  of  beads,  such  as  the  heads  of 
families  are  accustomed  to  wear,  worth  about  a  couple  of 
grosehen ;  and  this  was  all  the  decoration  he  displayed.  He 
retained  now  but  a  shadow  of  his  former  power ;  his  better 
days  were  gone,  days  in  which,  attended  by  a  council  of 


SHILLOOK  SUBMISSION. 


92 


ancestral  state,  he  had  swayed  the  sceptre  of  patriarchal 
dignity.  Of  all  the  negro  races  which  occupy  the  entire 
district  of  the  Nile,  the  Shillooks  used  to  uphold  the  most 
perfectly  regulated  government,  and  to  appreciate  them 
thoroughly  it  is  necessary  to  refer  back  to  the  earliest  regis- 
tries, which  those  who  accompanied  the  expedition  of 
Mehemet  Ali  left  on  record.  But  now  this  condition  is  all 
changed,  and  everything  has  disappeared  which  gave  this 
independent  and  primitive  people  their  most  striking 
characteristics. 

In  the  immediate  proximity  of  the  camp  all  was  generally 
at  peace ;  the  Shillooks  apparently  submitted  tamely  enough 
to  a  Government  which  did  not  exercise  any  very  tyrannical 
power,  and  which  contented  itself  with  demanding  a  supply 
of  bullocks  and  a  stated  levy  of  provisions  to  maintain  the 
troops.  Notwithstanding  this  usual  semblance  of  concord, 
the  Governor  was  notoriously  on  terms  of  open  enmity  and 
feud  with  the  Shillooks  in  the  south.  Kashgar,  another 
descendant  of  the  ancient  reigning  family,  still  maintained 
himself  as  an  uncontrolled  sovereign,  and  was  able  to  render 
that  part  of  the  river  extremely  unsafe  for  navigation.  Ever 
and  again  the  Governor  with  his  force,  never  more  than  600 
strong,  was  undertaking  expeditions  against  them;  but,  as 
he  himself  told  me,  they  never  came  to  an  actual  engage- 
ment. Although  the  blacks,  he  said,  might  muster  20,000 
or  30,000  strong,  the  second  cannon  shot  was  quite  enough 
to  make  them  scamper  off,  and  leave  their  flocks  and  herds 
in  the  lurch ;  upon  these  the  mounted  Baggara,  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Government,  descended  and  made  them  an  easy 
spoil.  This  nomadic  race,  from  time  immemorial,  has  ever, 
as  I  have  already  mentioned,  been  addicted  to  the  plunder 
of  cattle,  and  has  always  exhibited  a  preference  for  that 
occupation. 

In  another  respect  the  situation  of  the  Government  here 

is  far  from  easy.    Not  only  are  the  Shillooks  at  heart  at 
Vol.  I.— 8 


94 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


enmity  to  it,  but  it  excites  the  hostility  of  the  trading  com- 
panies who  ascend  the  river.  Nothing  indicates  the  circum- 
stances better  than  the  expression  of  a  member  of  one  of 
these  companies.  "  The  Mudir,"  he  said,  "  doesn't  like  to 
attack  the  Shillooks ;  he  takes  care  of  them,  and  only  wants 
a  few  of  their  bullocks;  but  we — we  should  just  like  to 
annihilate  them,  devil's  brood  as  they  are."  In  fact,  as  the 
Mudir  said  to  me,  he  only  wanted  the  best  of  the  Shillooks ; 
the  Shillooks  know  well  enough  that  their  "  best "  is  their 
cattle,  and  this  they  are  not  really  resigned  passively  to 
surrender,  and  so  they  go  on  and  continue  to  be  defiant,  till 
they  feel  the  grenades  and  rockets  scorching  their  skins. 
For  the  future  fortune  of  this  favoured  country  I  cannot 
anticipate  much  that  is  good.  Whilst  the  Viceroy  refuses 
to  appoint  Europeans  as  governors,  like  Munzinger  in 
Massowa,  his  officers  must  fail  in  those  qualifications  which 
would  be  adequate  for  the  successful  administration  of  a 
newly-acquired  negro  territory.  The  visible  retrogression  of 
the  Egyptian  Soudan  with  respect  to  cultivation,  confirms 
this  unfavourable  foreboding.  Ismail  Pasha  centres  all  his 
hope  upon  the  stimulating  influence  of  a  railway  which  shall 
connect  Egypt  with  Khartoom,  and  very  likely  he  may 
witness  commerce  enlarged  to  an  unsuspected  magnitude ; 
one  thing,  however,  there  is  which  he  cannot  prevent,  and 
that  is  the  depopulation  of  the  Shillook  lands.  Since  they 
remain  closed  to  European  civilisation,  and  since  the  hus- 
bandmen in  Egypt  are  sufficiently  engrossed  in  acquiring 
fresh  soil  for  their  own  tillage  at  home,  there  is  no  prospect 
whatever  for  any  advantage  to  these  lands,  except  it  can  be 
found  in  a  large  immigration  of  labourers  from  Asia. 

The  Governor  was  a  remarkably  intelligent  Kurd,  and 
great  was  my  regret  that  I  could  not  spare  a  longer  time  to 
listen  to  the  interesting  information  that  he  gave  me  about 
the  habits  of  the  Shillooks,  which  he  knew  accurately  from 
many  years'  experience.    I  accepted  all  that  he  said  with 


JUDICIAL  VERDICT. 


95 


the  greater  confidence,  because  it  had  seldom  occurred  to  me 
to  meet  a  Turkish  officer,  who  could  fluently  speak  the 
dialect  of  the  country.  He  was  continually  being  called 
upon  to  adjust  the  disputes  of  the  natives,  who  appealed  to 
his  judgment,  even  in  their  most  private  concerns.  One 
young  girl  there  was  who,  abashed  and  dejected,  had  been 
crouching  in  a  corner,  and  then  ventured  to  present  herself 
before  him  as  adjudicator.-  With  her  speech  half-choked  by 
emotion,  she  besought  him  to  interpose  his  authority  to  set 
aside  the  obstacles  which  her  parents  threw  in  the  way  of 
her  completing  her  marriage  engagement  with  a  young 
Shillook,  whose  name  was  Yod.  The  hindrance  to  the  wed- 
ding was  simply  the  fact  that  the  young  man  possessed  no 
cattle.  The  Mudir  inquired  whether  Yod  was  not  the  owner 
of  some  cows.  Her  reply  was,  "  No  ;  Yod  has  no  cows ;  but 
Yod  wants  me,  and  I  want  Yod."  Although  she  urged  her 
point  over  and  over  again,  and  pressed  the  Mudir  to  pro- 
nounce in  her  favour,  because  his  judgment  would  constrain 
her  parents,  the  Mudir  did  not  yield.  The  girl  kept  saying 
we  must,"  and  '*  we  will ; "  the  judge  could  speak  only  of 
bullocks.  There  seemed  to  be  no  settling  the  matter,  when 
he  said,  "  You  must  go  and  wait :  wait  till  Yod  has  bullocks 
enough  to  satisfy  your  parents."  This  was  not  a  very  com- 
forting decision,  but  it  showed  me  plainly  how  that  it  was 
ever  his  rule  to  recognise  the  customs  of  the  country. 

In  order  to  attend  to  my  European  correspondence,  which 
had  fallen  somewhat  into  arrears  during  my  voyage,  I  pro- 
longed my  stay  for  three  days.  Fine  forests  of  gum-acacias 
encompassed  the  spot  as  far  as  the  extensive  Shillook  villages 
allowed  them  space,  whilst  the  opposite  shore  presented  an 
unreclaimed  desert.  At  this  season,  when  the  waters  had 
nearly  reached  their  lowest  level,  the  banks  of  the  river  were 
everywhere  enlivened  by  numerous  kinds  of  water-fowl. 
Ducks  and  geese  did  not  preponderate,  as  in  the  northern 
districts,  but  the  bird  most  frequently  seen  was  the  crowned 


96  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

crane.  Thousands  of  these  in  swarms  were  to  be  seen  upon 
the  level  banks,  nor  was  there  much  difficulty  in  getting  at 
them.  Protected  by  the  tall  grasses  on  the  slopiss  of  the 
bank,  one  had  but  to  discharge  a  load  of  good-sized  shot,  and 
the  destruction  was  marvellous.  Besides  the  black  and  rose- 
coloured  storks  there  is  occasionally  found  the  common  stork, 
familiar  to  us  at  home;  deeper  onwards  in  the  interior  I 
have  always  looked  for  this  in  vain.  *  In  every  region  through- 
out Africa  there  exists  the  rapacious  hawk,  whilst  the 
graceful  grey  falcon  is  not  at  all  uncommon.  The  most 
remarkable  bird  of  prey,  however,  is  the  large  whitey-brown 
eagle  (Haliaetos  vocifer),  which,  sitting  apart  on  trees  and 
shrubs  in  the  proximity  of  the  waters,  startles  the  passer-by 
by  its  peculiar  shriek. 

The  noise  of  this  bird  is  very  singular,  and  is  unlike  any  other 
known  note  of  the  feathered  race  ;  its  cry  ever  comes  unex- 
pectedly, and  is  prolonged  on  the  waters.  Sometimes  it 
makes  one  think  that  it  must  be  the  cry  of  frightened  women 
which  alarms  him ;  or  sometimes  it  appears  as  if  a  lot  of 
shouting  boys  were  rushing  from  their  hiding-place.  The 
illusion  is  so  perfect,  that,  for  my  part,  I  never  failed  to  hurry 
off  in  the  direction  of  the  sound,  whenever  I  chanced  to  hear 
it.  The  peculiar  cry  of  the  bird  is  so  characteristic,  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Soudan  have  given  it  the  expressive  name 
of  Faki,  the  shrieking  priest. 

Of  birds  which  attach  themselves  to  inhabited  parts,  the 
white-breasted  Abyssinian  raven  is  most  abundant ;  the  trees 
around  Fashoda  are  full  of  them.  This  species  dwells  in 
pairs,  which  are  continually  hacking  away  at  the  tree  stems, 
the  raven  not  unfrequently  coming  to  associate  with  them. 
The  Bahama,  consecrated  (as  an  emblem  of  parental  affection) 
amongst  the  ancient  Egyptians  and  Hebrews,  collects  in 
considerable  numbers  in  Khartoom,  where  it  does  duty  as  a 
scavenger ;  but  although  it  is  ever  to  be  found  in  the  towns 
of  Egypt  and  Nubia,  it  is  never  met  with  here  ;  it  shuns  the 


ACACIA-GROVES. 


97 


wilderness,  and  only  feels  at  home  in  civilised  places.  In 
this  district  its  place  is  supplied  by  the  little  carrion  vulture 
(Neophron  ^ileatus),  which  the  people  of  the  Soudan  call 
"  Nisr,"  although  this  is  only  the  ordinary  Arabian  appella- 
tion of  an  eagle.  The  heaths,  broken  as  they  frequently  are 
by  low  shrubs,  notwithstanding  the  nearness  of  so  many 
dwellings,  afford  a  suitable  resort  for  whole  coveys  of  guinea- 
fowls.  The  herbage  on  the  steppe  itself  appears  for  miles 
together  to  be  covered  with  the  Bamia  (Hibiscus  esculentus), 
a  species  of  marsh-mallow,  the  seed-pods  of  which  form  a 
favourite  vegetable  amongst  the  Nubians.  By  the  White 
Nile  it  grows  perfectly  wild,  whilst  in  the  north  it  requires 
to  be  cultivated. 

The  acacia-groves  produce  gum  in  such  unlimited  quanti- 
ties that,  in  the  interests  of  commerce,  they  are  specially 
worthy  of  regard.  In  the  winter  time,  with  the  greatest  ease 
in  the  course  of  a  day  a  hundredweight  of  this  valuable 
article  could  be  collected  by  one  man.  Not  once,  however,- 
did  I  see  anyone  gathering  the  gum,  although  the  merchants 
of  Khartoom  are  never  in  a  position  to  supply  sufficient  to 
meet  the  demands  of  Europe.  The  descriptions  of  gum, 
which  are  hence  brought  to  the  Khartoom  market,  are  those 
known  as  Sennaari  and  Talha,  and  are,  in  truth,  only  of  a 
mediocre  quality.  Yet  they  do  possess  a  certain  marketable 
value,  and  through  their  abundance  could  be  made  to  render 
a  very  large  profit.  The  acacia-groves  extend  over  an  area 
a  hundred  miles  square,  and  stretch  along  the  right  bank  of 
the  stream.  The  kind  which  is  most  conspicuous  is  the 
A.  fistula,  and  which  is  as  rich  as  any  other  variety  in  gummy 
secretions.  I  choose  this  definition  of  it  from  its  Arabian 
appellation  "  soffar,"  which  signifies  a  flute  or  pipe.  From 
the  larvae  of  insects- which  have  worked  a  way  to  the  inside, 
their  ivory-white  shoots  are  often  distorted  in  form  and 
swollen  out  at  their  base  with  globular  bladders  measuring 
about  an  inch  in  diameter.    After  the  mysterious  insect  has 


98  THE  HEART  OF  AFKICA. 

unaccountably  managed  to  glide  out  of  its  circular  hole,  this 
thorn-like  shoot  becomes  a  sort  of  musical  instrument,  upon 
which  the  wind  as  it  plays  produces  the  regular  sound  of  a 
flute ;  on  this  account,  the  natives  of  the  Soudan  have  named 
it  the  whistling-tree.  It  yields  a  portion  of  the  gum  known 
on  the  exchange  as  gum  of  Gedaref.  It  is  often  found 
in  lumps  as  large  as  the  fist ;  it  is  rarely  colourless,  and 
more  frequently  than  otherwise  tinged  with  the  hue  of 
amber. 

Very  striking  is  the  sight  afforded  by  the  wood  of  acacias 
in  the  months  of  winter ;  the  boughs,  bare  of  leaves  and 
white  as  chalk,  stretch  out  like  ghosts;  they  are  covered 
with  the  empty  pods,  which  cluster  everywhere  like  flakes 
of  snow  :  whilst  the  voices  of  a  thousand  flutes  give  out  their 
hollow  dirge.    Such  is  the  forest  of  the  Sofiar. 


Prickles  of  Acacia. 


The  peculiarities  which  affect  the  growth  of  the  acacia 
appear  to  be  transmitted  to  a  very  remarkable  extent.  On 
a  former  journey  I  took  some  seeds  to  Cairo,  which  already 
had  produced  some  trees  of  a  very  considerable  size.  These 
trees  exhibited  the  special  appearances  of  the  parents ; 
below  the  prickles  were  the  same  excrescences  and  insect- 
borings  ;  not  only  was  this  the  case  in  the  park  of  Esbekieh 
in  Cairo,  but  it  also  occurred  in  several  other  situations, 
which  left  the  problem  to  be  solved,  how  was  it  that  the 


ABOO  SAMMAT. 


99 


insect  survived  in  the  seed,  or  how  did  it  contrive  to  get  to 
its  tree  in  Cairo  ? 

On  the  5th  of  February  we  finally  left  the  Egyptian  en- 
campment, and  directed  our  course  up  the  stream  towards 
the  region  of  the  papyrus.  After  sailing  all  night  we 
stopped  just  short  of  the  mouth  of  the  Sobat,  on  the  right 
bank  close  to  a  forest.  The  progress  of  the  coming  days 
would  lead  us  through  an  insecure  territory ;  we  wanted  to 
make  up  our  supply  of  wood,  and  knew  that  the  hostility  of 
the  Shillooks  would,  in  many  places,  render  any  attempt  at 
landing  on  our  part  quite  unadvisable.  Of  the  boats  which 
were  bound  for  the  Gazelle,  only  one  had  arrived.  In  order 
to  render  us  assistance,  the  Mudir  had  charged  the  owner 
not  to  leave  my  party  in  the  lurch.  This  circumstance  had 
a  very  important  effect  upon  my  whole  journey,  as  it  was  the 
means  of  introducing  me  to  Mohammed  Aboo  Sammat,  who 
was  proprietor  of  the  boat.  This  magnanimous  Nubian  was 
destined  to  exercise  a  very  considerable  influence  on  my 
undertaking,  and,  indeed,  he  contributed  more  to  my  success 
than  all  the  satraps  of  the  Soudan.  During  my  land 
journey  I  had  first  made  his  acquaintance,  and  now  he 
invited  me  to  be  his  guest  until  he  should  have  accompanied 
me  to  the  remotest  tribes,  a  proposal  on  his  part  which  made 
my  blood  tingle  in  my  veins.  A  native  of  Dar-Kenoos,  in  his 
way  he  was  a  little  hero.  Sword  in  hand  he  had  vanquished 
various  districts  large  enough  to  have  formed  small  states  in 
Europe.  A  merchant  full  of  enterprise,  he  avoided  no 
danger,  and  was  sparing  neither  of  trouble  nor  of  sacrifice ; 
in  the  words  of  the  Horaz,  "  he  explored  the  distant  Indies, 
and  compassed  sea  and  land  to  escape  poverty."  Yet  all  the 
while  he  had  the  keenest  sympathy  with  learning,  and  could 
travel  through  the  remotest  countries  at  the  bidding  of 
science  to  see  the  wonders  of  the  world. 

Far  as  eye  can  see,  the  Sobat  flows  between  level  banks 
bounded  by  unlimited  steppes  ;  where  it  joins  the  Nile  it  is 


100 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


about  half  as  broad  as  the  main  stream.  For  a  considerable 
distance  the  cloudy  milk-white  waters,  which  indicate  the 
mountain  stream,  can  be  distinguished  as  they  roll  into  the 
deep  azure  of  the  White  Nile.  The  Sobat  water  is,  however, 
far  preferable  to  the  Nile  water,  which,  after  being  strained 
as  it  were,  through  a  filter  of  grass,  emerges  transparent  in 
colour,  but  with  a  flat,  earthy  flavour,  which  is  highly  dis- 
agreeable to  the  palate.  The  effect  of  the  commingling  ot 
the  two  streams  can  be  distinctly  traced  as  far  as  Fashoda, 
where  the  inhabitants '  fancy  they  enjoy  some  consequent 
sanitary  advantage. 

We  kept  quite  close  to  the  right  bank  of  the  uninhabited 
quarter,  but  on  the  same  day  we  found  ourselves  in  full 
flight  before  thousands  of  the  native  Shillooks,  who,  with 
their  light  canoes  of  ambatch,  hastened  to  the  bank,  and  in 
thick  troops  prepared  to  displace  us.  As  fate  would  have  it, 
just  as  we  were  within  sight  of  the  dreaded  Shillooks,  our  sail- 
yard  broke,  and  we  were  compelled  to  seek  the  land.  Soon 
rose  the  cry,  *'They  are  coming!  they  are  coming!"  for  in 
fact  we  could  see  them  dashing  over  the  stream  with  incre- 
dible celerity,  and  crowding  their  canoes  as  thick  as  ants. 
Hardly  had  we  regained  our  craft,  and  made  some  speedy 
preparations  for  defence  against  an  attack,  when  the  fore- 
most of  the  Shillook  men,  equipped  for  war,  carrying  their 
tufted  lances  in  their  hands,  showed  themselves  by  the  banks 
which  only  now  we  had  quitted.  Apparently  they  came  to 
offer  some  negotiation  with  us  in  the  way  of  traffic  ;  but  ours 
was  the  ancient  policy,  "  Danaos  timentes,"  and  we  pushed  on. 

Although,  including  Aboo  Sammat's  party,  we  numbered 
full  eighty  armed  men,  we  could  not  help  suspecting  that  as 
soon  as  the  north-east  breeze  should  drop,  by  whose  aid  we 
were  going  along  the  stream  without  a  sail,  the  savages 
would  take  advantage  of  our  bad  situation  and  inadequate 
fighting  force  to  make  an  attack  upon  us. 

This  fear  was  not  without  reason ;  there  were  here,  at  a 


fllM  Llbfin 


A  HASTY  KETREAT. 


101 


guess,  at  least  10,000  Shillooks  on  their  legs  and  3000 
ambatch  canoes  in  motion  on  the  river.  Accordingly  we 
pushed  up  the  stream,  and  had  an  opportunity,  from  a  more 
secure  neighbourhood,  to  observe  the  Shillooks  more  accu- 
rately. My  telescope  aided  me  in  my  investigation.  I  saw 
crowds  of  men  violently  gesticulating  and  contending;  I 
saw  women  burdened  with  baskets  loaded  with  poultry 
clapping  their  wings.  After  a  while  the  Shillooks,  disap- 
pointed, began  to  vacate  the  bank  which  we  had  left,  and  on 
the  river  could  now  be  seen  a  redoubled  movement  of  the 
canoes,  whilst  opposite  fresh  multitudes  poured  in,  and  gave 
to  the  whole  scene  the  appearance  of  a  general  emigration  of 
the  people. 

Within  the  last  three  years  the  boats  had  been  permitted 
with  reluctance,  and  only  when  several  were  together,  to 
approach  the  shore  at  this  part  of  the  stream,  for  here  it  had 
happened  in  one  single  season  that  five  vessels,  the  property 
of  Khartoom  merchants,  as  they  were  coming  clown  the  river 
laden  with  ivory,  were  treacherously  attacked  one  after  the 
other.  The  stratagem  was  employed  of  diverting  the  atten- 
tion of  the  crews  by  an  exhibition  of  attractive  merchandise  ; 
while  the  Nubians  were  off  their  guard,  at  ,a  given  signal  the 
Shillooks  fell  upon  them  and  butchered  them  without  excep- 
tion. Gunpowder,  rifles,  and  valuable  ivory,  all  fell  into 
their  hands ;  the  vessels  they  burnt.  Ghattas  himself,  the 
merchant  who  owned  the  vessel  by  which  I  was  travelling, 
suffered  the  loss  of  a  costly  cargo,  while  eighty  men  on  that 
occasion  met  with  a  violent  death.  Only  the  Eeis  and  one 
female  slave  escaped  to  Fashoda.  Betimes  they  threw 
themselves  into  the  water,  and  concealing  their  heads  with 
some  water  weeds,  floated  on  till  the  stream  carried  them  out 
of  the  reach  of  harm. 

On  the  following  morning,  after  we  had  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Giraffe  river,  we  were  joined  by  a  flotilla  of  six  boats. 
As  we  reckoned  now  nearly  350  armed  men,  we  felt  that  we 


102 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


could  venture  without  risk  to  enter  upon  commercial  transac- 
tions with  the  Shillooks.  The  disturbed  condition  of  the 
country  had  interfered  to  prevent  them  carrying  about  their 
merchandise  as  usual,  and  they  now  were  collected  in  unusual 
numbers  at  the  mart. 

A  mile  away  from  the  river-bank  there  were  rows  of  dome- 
palms  bounding  a  broad  level,  on  which  was  exhibited  all 
the  liveliness  of  ordinary  market-clatter.  Busy  and  bustling, 
there  were  thousands  congregated  together ;  but  the  fear  this 
time  was  not  on  our  side.  From  far  and  near  streamed  in 
the  natives  ;  many  brought  baskets  full  of  corn,  eggs,  butter, 
beans,  and  ostrich-feathers ;  others  offered  poultry,  tied 
together  in  bunches,  for  sale :  there  was  altogether  the  bustle 
of  such  a  market  as  only  the  largest  towns  could  display. 
The  area  was  hemmed  in  by  a  guard  of  armed  men,  whose 
lances,  like  standing  corn,  glittered  in  the  sun.  The  sense 
of  security  raised  the  spirits  of  the  light-hearted  sailors,  and 
their  merry  Nubian  songs  rose  clieerfuUy  in  the  air.  Two 
hours  slipped  quickly  away,  while  the  necessary  purchases 
were  being  made,  the  medium  of  exchange  being  white  or 
red  glass  beads.  Soon  afterwards  a  favourable  breeze 
sprung  up.  Everything  was  still  active  in  the  market ; 
fresh  loads  came  teeming  from  the  villages ;  the  outcry  and 
gesticulations  of  the  market  people  were  as  excited  as  ever, 
when  suddenly  there  boomed  the  signal  to  embark.  The 
confusion,  the  noise,  the  hurry  which  ensued  baffle  all  de- 
scription ;  the  Shillooks  were  in  a  panic,  and,  imagining  that 
it  must  be  all  up  with  them,  scampered  off  and  jostled  each 
other  in  every  direction. 

The  propitious  wind  did  not,  however,  prevent  our  people 
from  finding  time  to  make  a  little  detour  into  the  country, 
where  they  had  the  luck  to  find  some  herdsmen  who  were 
trying  to  conceal  a  heifer  amongst  the  grass.  There  was  a 
report  of  a  gun,  and  the  beast  was  stretched  upon  the  ground. 
A  few  minutes  sufficed  to  quarter  its  carcase,  and  the  hide 


NUBIAN  LOGIC. 


103 


and  the  pieces  were  conveyed  on  board.  Half-a-dozen  kids 
and  some  sheep  were  added  to  the  stock,  and  so  we  proceeded 
on  our  way.  In  the  eyes  of  the  people  such  plundering  is 
deemed  to  be  perfectly  legitimate  for  various  reasons :  first, 
because  the  Shillooks  are  heathen ;  secondly,  because  some 
years  before  they  had  burnt  five  Nubian  vessels ;  thirdly  and 
chiefly,  because  mutton  and  beef  are  very  choice  eating, 
particularly  after  having  been  limited  for  a  time  to  durra- 
pap.  My  tawny  companions  seemed  to  think  that  they  knew 
a  fourth  palliation  for  their  proceeding,  which  consisted  in 
this,  that  none  but  themselves  were  capable  of  making  a 
proper  use  of  the  goods  of  the  blacks.  In  the  districts  of 
the  Upper  Nile,  wherever  the  breeding  of  cattle  is  carried 
on,  it  is  a  custom  of  the  negroes  never  to  kill  an  animal, 
but  only  to  consume  those  which  die  naturally ;  the  reason 
obviously  being,  that  they  look  upon  the  possession  of  living 
cattle  as  the  main  object  of  their  existence.  With  them^ 
steers  do  the  duty  of  guineas  and  napoleons ;  the  Nubians, 
therefore,  jocosely  affirm  that  they  swallow  the  guineas, 
which  in  the  keeping  of  the  heathen  are  nothing  better  than 
so  much  dead  capital. 

We  were  not  long  in  leaving  the  Shillook  villages  far 
behind.  The  inhabited  region  seemed  to  recede  as  our  boat 
made  its  way  along  the  water-course.  The  stream  divided 
itself  into  a  multitude  of  channels,  which  threaded  their 
way  amidst  a  maze  of  islands.  The  distant  rows  of  acacias 
on  either  side  were  the  only  tokens  to  indicate  the  mainland. 
This  was  the  day  on  which  we  first  saw  the  papyrus.  To  me, 
botanist  as  I  was,  the  event  elevated  the  day  to  a  festival. 
Here  at  a  latitude  of  9°  30'  N.  are  we  now  first  able  to  salute 
this  sire  of  immortal  thought,  which  centuries  ago  was  just 
as  abundant  in  Egypt  as  at  present  it  is  on  the  threshold  of 
the  central  deserts  of  Africa.  I  was  quite  lost  in  admiration 
at  the  variety  of  production  of  the  surface  of  the  water,  to 
which  the  antique  papyrus  gave  a  noble  finish.    It  strikes 


104 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  gaze  like  the  creation  of  another  world,  and  seems  to 
inspire  a  kind  of  reverence  :  although  for  days  and  weeks  I 
was  environed  by  the  marvellous  beauties  which  enrich  the 
flora  of  the  Nile,  my  eye  was  never  weary  of  the  vision  of 
its  graceful  form. 

The  hindrances  to  our  progress  caused  by  the  excessive 
vegetation  began  now  to  give  us  some  anxiety.  All  day 
long  we  were  bewildered  not  only  by  the  multiplicity  of 
channels,  but  by  masses  of  grass,  papyrus,  and  ambatch, 
which  covered  the  whole  stream  like  a  carpet,  and  even 
when  they  opened  gave  merely  the  semblance  of  being 
passages.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the  diversion  of  its  course 
to  the  east,  which,  for  sixty  miles  the  Nile  here  takes,  may 
check  the  progress  of  the  stream,  and  be  in  a  measure 
the  cause  of  such  a  strange  accumulation  of  water-plants. 
Certain  it  seems  that  neither  any  exceptional  depth  of  water, 
such  as  may  occur  in  particular  years,  nor  yet  any  general 
overflow  wider  than  usual,  avails  to  exercise  the  slightest 
influence  upon  this  exuberant  vegetation.  Were  it  a  coating 
of  ice  it  -would  split  itself  into  fragments  under  the  pressure 
of  the  stream,  but  here  is  a  real  web  of  tough  tangle,  which 
blockades  the  entire  surface.  Every  here  and  there,  indeed, 
the  force  of  the  water  may  open  a  kind  of  rift,  but  not  cor- 
responding at  all  with  the  deeper  and  true  channel  of  the 
stream.  Such  a  rift  is  not  available  for  any  passage  of  the 
.boats.  The  strain  of  the  tension,  which  goes  on  without 
intermission,  has  such  an  effect  in  altering  the  position  of 
the  weedy  mass,  that  even  the  most  experienced  pilot  is  at 
a  loss  how  to  steer,  consequently  every  voyage  in  winter  is 
along  a  new  course,  and  through  a  fresh  labyrinth  of  tangle. 
But  in  July,  when  the  floods  are  at  their  highest,  navigation 
can  be  carried  on  along  well  nigh  all  the  channels,  since  the 
currents  are  not  so  strong,  and  the  vessels  are  able  to  pro- 
ceed without  detention  to  their  destinations. 

Thick  masses  of  little  weeds  float  about  the  surface  of  the 


GEASS  TANGLE. 


105 


water,  and  by  forming  a  soft  pulp,  contribute  an  effectual 
aid  to  bind  together  the  masses  of  vegetation.  Like  a 
cement  this  conglomerate  of  weeds  fills  up  all  the  clefts 
and  chasms  between^  the  grass  and  ambatch  islands,  which 
are  formed  in  the  back-water  where  the  position  is  sheltered 
from  the  winds  and  free  from -the  influence  of  the  current. 

There  are  two  plants,  at  a  superfi  -ial  glance  hardly  dis- 
tinguishable, which  perform  the  largest  share  in  the  forma- 
tion of  this  compact  web.  One  of  them  is  the  thin-mem- 
braned  water- fern,  the  Azolla ;  the  other  (which  is  quite 
familiar  to  every  visitor  to  the  iunk  of  the  Victoria  regia) 
being  the  Pistid,  which  can  hardly  fail  to  recall  a  head  of 
lettuce.  The  sailors  of  the  White  Nile  call  it  the  "  negro 
tobacco,"  probably  with  reference  to  the  dwarfed  growth  of 
the  two  kinds  of  tobacco  in  the  negro  lands.  Besides  these, 
our  duck- weeds  (Lemna)  and  Tussieua  of  various  sorts  inter- 
twine themselves  with  the  mass,  and  the  different  African 
representations  of  our  commonest  water-plants  play  a  part  by 
no  means  unimportant. 

It  is  remarkable  that  in  Egypt  nearly  all  the  species  of 
water-plants  which  abound  in  the  stream  of  the  White  Nile 
are  w  anting  entirely ;  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  all  the 
shore-shrubs,  which  had  their  native  home  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Equator,  pass  over  the  intervening  districts  and 
there  find  a  settlement.  Even  the  conspicuous  ambatch  is,  in 
Egypt,  not  known  by  name ;  and  it  is  quite  an  event  when 
any  of  the  fragments  of  the  papyrus  find  their  w^ay  so  far 
north.  Every  bit  of  wood  which  the  river  carries  in  its 
flood  is  collected  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  Nubian  valley, 
and  not  a  scrap  escapes  the  keen  look-out  of  the  people,  who 
are  eager  to  compensate  for  their  lack  of  firewood.  At  the 
season  when  the  waters  are  at  their  height,  the  chase  after 
floating  wood  is  a  daily  occupation  and  a  favourite  engage- 
ment of  the  boys. 

On  the  8th  of  February  began  our  actual  conflict  with  this 


106 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


world  of  weeds.  That  entire  day  was  spent  in  trying  to 
force  our  boats  along  the  temporary  openings.  The  pilots 
were  soon  absolutely  at  a  loss  to  determine  by  which  channel 
they  ought  to  proceed.  On  this  account  two  vessels  were 
detached  from  the  flotilla  to  investigate  the  possibility  of 
making  a  passage  in  a  more  northerly  direction.  Two  hun- 
dred of  our  people,  sailors  and  soldiers,  were  obliged  to  lug 
with  ropes  for  hours  together  to  pull  through  one  boat  after 
the  other,  while  they  walked  along  the  edge  of  the  floating 
mass,  which  would  bear  whole  herds  of  oxen,  as  I  subse- 
quently had  an  opportunity  of  seeing. 

Very  singular  was  the  spectacle  of  the  vessels,  as  though 
they  had  grown  in  the  place  where  they  were,  in  the  midst 
of  this  jungle  of  papyrus,  fifteen  feet  high;  whilst  the 
bronzed,  swarthy  skins  of  the  naked  Nubians  contrasted 
admirably  with  the  bright  green  which  was  everywhere 
around.  The  shrieks  and  shouts  with  which  they  sought  to 
cheer  on  their  work  could  be  heard  miles  away.  The  very 
hippopotamuses  did  not  seem  to  like  it ;  in  their  alarm  they 
lifted  their  heads  from  the  shallows  in  which  they  had 
stationed  themselves  for  respiration,  and  snorted  till  the 
gurgling  around  was  horrible.  The  sailors,  concerned  lest  by 
their  bulk  these  unwieldy  creatures  should  injure  the  boats 
— not  an  unknown  occurrence — gave  vent  to  the  full  force 
of  their  lungs.  This  unearthly  clamour  was  indeed  the  soli- 
tary means  of  defence  at  their  command  ;  in  such  a  turmoil 
— men  and  boats  in  every  direction — firing  a  shot  was  not  to 
be  thought  of. 

This  extraordinary  grass-barrier  had  already  been  met 
with  at  the  time  of  Miss  Tinne's  expedition  in  1863 ;  here 
again  in  the  summer  of  1872  was  it  found,  strong  as  ever, 
offering  for  months  its  serious  impediments  to  navigation, 
and  threatening  to  expose  the  crews  to  destitution,  if  their 
provisions  should  fail.  The  enterprising  expedition  of  Sir 
Samuel  Baker,  in  1870-71,  suffered  repeated  hindrances  at 


tiiiivWty  of  iilliioit 


EL  SETT :  THE  GKASS-BARRIER. 


107 


this  spot.  An  attempt  was  made  to  employ  machinery  to 
penetrate  the  mass,  but  steam-boats  proved  to  be  even  less 
successful  than  the  ordinary  boats  in  making  any  headway. 
The  conflict  in  these  waters  by  means  of  wind  and  steam 
recalls  what  is  not  unfrequently  seen  in  Egypt  when  a  lot 
of  men  try  to  drag  a  donkey  through  the  mud. 

In  this  laborious  fashion  we  had  to  toil  on  for  several  days. 
It  was  only  by  one  of  the  side-arms  of  the  blockaded  main- 
stream that  it  was  possible  to  reach  the  mouth  of  the  Gazelle 
Kiver.  To  this  backwater  the  sailors  give  the  jiame  of 
"  Maia  Signora,"  because  the  access  to  it  is  stated  to  have 
been  discovered  by  the  pilots  who  conducted  Miss  Tinne. 
Ever  since  the  formation  of  the  grass  barrier  {el  Sett)  there 
has  been  no  approach  to  the  river  of  Gondokoro,  the  Bahr- 
el-Gebel,  except  by  a  long  side-arm  called  the  Giraffe  Eiver, 
which  is  itself  almost  equally  blocked  up.  Upon  the  whole 
we  were  more  fortunate  than  our  predecessors  of  previous 
years,  because  our  journey  chanced  to  fall  during  one  of  the 
periodical  seasons  when  the  growth  of  the  ambatch  is  at  a 
standstill.  It  happened  therefore  that  of  the  three  obsta- 
cles which  (besides  the  current  and  the  shallows)  are  gene- 
rally to  be  expected,  viz.,  grass,  papyrus,  and  ambatch,  one  of 
the  most  important  did  not  occur.  The  close  of  our  first 
day's  exertion  found  us  at  night-fall  on  the  southerly  side  of 
an  island  in  mid-stream,  whence  we  witnessed  a  spectacle 
striking  in  its  way.  Through  an  immense  grove  of  acacias 
seventy  feet  high  (A.  verugera),  which  were  remarkable  for 
their  resemblance  to  pine-trees,  there  gleamed,  with  the  glare 
of  day,  the  light  of  huge  bonfires  of  faggots,  which  the 
Shillooks  had  kindled  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  which  gave 
to  the  tall  trees  the  effect  of  being  truly  gigantic. 

Here  on  the  9th  we  tarried,  and  as  it  was  the  last  woody 
district  upon  which  we  could  reckon  until  we  arrived  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Bahr-el-Arab,  we  set  to  work  to  repair  our 
broken  sailyard.    We  were  close  now  to  the  region  of  the 


108 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Nueir :  and  on  the  steppes  beyond  the  woodj  we  could  see 
troops  of  them  moving  backwards  and  forwards ;  but  they 
kept  at  a  distance,  and  showed  no  disposition  to  open  any 
negotiations  with  us.  Footprints  and  various  other  indica- 
tions leave  no  doubt  but  that  this  district  is  the  playground 
of  elephants,  giraffes,  wild  buffaloes,  and  hyenas.  Maraboo 
storks  were  abundant,  and  would  often  come  tolerably  close 
to  the  resorts  of  men,  but  as  soon  as  they  found  themselves 
observed  were  careful  to  keep  at  a  safe  distance.  During 
our  progress  along  the  river  I  brought  down  very  many  of 
these  birds,  and  secured  a  quantity  of  their  valuable  feathers. 
These  I  sent  to  Europe,  and  at  a  bazaar  for  the  benefit  of 
the  sick  and  wounded  they  realised  a  considerable  sum. 
Maraboo  feathers  fetch  higher  prices  than  ostrich  feathers, 
yet  it  is  very  remarkable  that  they  are  quite  unknown  in  the 
commerce  of  Khartoom. 

The  temperature  of  the  preceding  days  had  been  singu- 
larly fresh,  and  consequently  the  plague  of  flies,  from  which 
previous  travellers  had  had  to  endure  so  much,  did  not  at  all 
molest  us.  We  were,  however,  provided  on  board  with  all  the 
appliances  to  protect  ourselves  from  this  nuisance,  in  case 
of  need.  Far  into  the  night  after  these  days  of  prolonged 
exertion  resounded  the  songs  of  the  Nubians,  and  the  gourd- 
shells  of  merissa  beer  went  round  amid  the  native  strains  of 
Berber  and  Dongola.  As  I  did  not  thoroughly  understand 
the  dialect  of  Dongola,  I  continually  lost  the  exact  purport 
of  the  words  which  were  sung.  One  with  the  other  the 
Nubians  often  use  this  dialect,  although  they  just  as  fre- 
quently speak  Arabic.  Every  now  and  then  as  they  sung 
I  made  them  tell  me  the  sense  of  separate  sentences ;  my 
listening  to  them  seemed  to  delight  them  all,  and  I  heard 
them  saying  behind  my  back,  "  Pity  that  th^  man  is  not  a 
Mussulman,  or  at  least  a  Turk,  then  what  a  capital  fellow  he 
would  be!"  To  which  another  replied,  "Turk,  indeed!  who 
ever  heard  of  a  Turk  troubling  himself  about  our  songs  ?  The 


NUBIAN  SONGS. 


109 


Franks  are  worth  a  thousand  of  them  !  "  The  flattery  took 
its  effect  upon  me,  and  I  was  moved  at  once  to  deliver  a 
regular  homily  to  my  people.  Feeling  like  Caesar  among 
4  the  pirates,  I  proceeded  to  say,  "  Did  you  ever  hear,  you 
rascals  of  cow-stealers,  about  those  ancestors  of  yours,  tlie 
Ethiopians  of  Meroe  ?  "  '*  Yes,  indeed rejoined  the  Nubians, 
"  for  many  and  many  a  verse  did  our  ancient  poets  compose 
about  them,  to  celebrate  their  virtue  ;  and  they  used  to  declare 
about  the  ruler  of  the  gods  (for  at  that  time  we  believed 
in  many  gods)  if  he  couldn't  be  found  in  heaven  it  was 
because  he  was  lingering  amongst  his  darling  Ethiopians 
on  earth.  But  now,  we  have  Allah,  the  great  Allah ; 
besides  Allah  we  care  for  no  other." 

"  All  very  well I  replied ;  "  but  where  is  the  poet  who 
can  sing  about  his  love  to  you,  incorrigible  thieves  as  you 
are  ?  Just  mind  then  what  you  are  about  for  the  future, 
and  try  to  show  that  you  are  not  unworthy  of  your  great 
ancestors." 

The  next  day  was  again  employed  in  unrelaxed  endeavours 
to  penetrate  the  grass-bound  channels.  The  patches  of 
papyrus  became  at  once  more  frequent  and  more  extensive, 
and  here  once  again,  after  being  long  missed,  is  found  the 
genuine  Nile  reed,  the  "  shary  "  of  the  ancient  Egyptians — 
the  same  as  the  soof  of  the  Bible — which  always  grows  on 
the  shores  of  the  mainland.  Somewhat  strangely  the  pre- 
vailing river-grass  in  the  upper  waters,  the  Vossia  ^^rocera^ 
is  called  in  Arabic  "  Om-Soof,"  the  mother  of  wool.  This 
appellation  it  derives  from  the  peculiar  hairy  character  of  its 
leaf-sheaths.  These  have  the  disagreeable  quality  of  cover- 
ing the  entire  bodies  of  those  who  may  be  at  work  in  tlie  grass 
with  a  tliick  down  of  adhesive  bristles.  The  sharpness  of 
these  and  the  scratches  they  inflict  increase  the  irksomeness 
of  the  daily  labour  at  the  grass  barrier.  Still  the  great 
prairies  amidst  which  the  flood  pursues  its  course  afford  an 
inexhaustible  pasturage ;  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses,  all  graze 


110 


THE  HEART  OP  AFRICA. 


upon  them,  and  no  herbage  is  there  that  they  prefer  to  the 
Om-Soof."    At  the  close  of  the  day,  we  again  arrived  in 
open  water,  and  laid  up  for  the  night  by  the  left  bank,  which 
presented  a  wide  steppe  entirely  bare  of  trees. 

Up  with  the  sun,  with  sails  hoisted  with  a  moderate  breeze 
in  our  favour,  off  we  were  on  the  following  morning ;  short- 
lived, however,  was  our  propitious  start.  Too  soon  the  open 
water  branched  out  into  a  labyrinth  of  channels,  and  the 
bewildered  navigators  lost  all  clue  as  to  the  actual  direction 
of  the  stream.  The  projections  of.  the  green  islets  were 
always  crowned  with  huge  clumps  of  papyrus,  which  here 
grows  in  detached  masses.  It  probably  delights  most  in 
quiet  waters,  and  so  does  not  attain  to  the  form  of  a  high 
unbroken  hedge,  as  on  the  upper  banks  of  the  Gazelle,  for 
here,  on  account  of  the  numerous  stoppages,  the  stream  flows 
through  the  narrow  channels  with  extraordinary  violence. 
The  strength  of  the  stream  often  makes  towing  impracticable, 
and  the  sailors  often  have  considerable  dif^culty  in  sailing 
through  it  to  the  papyrus  bushes,  when  they  want  to  attach 
to  their  solid  stems  the  roj)es  which  are  thrown  out  from 
their  boats.  This  was  the  way  in  which  we  from  sheer 
necessity  sustained  the  resistance  of  the  current.  The 
depth  of  the  channel  was  quite  sufficient  in  itself  to  allow  us 
to  proceed,  as  our  vessels  drew  only  three  feet  of  water  ;  but 
the  passage  had  become  so  contracted  that  at  sunset  we 
fastened  ourselves  to  the  papyrus-stems,  quite  despairing  of 
ever  being  able  to  make  further  progress  in  this  direction. 

It  was  one  of  those  marvellous  nights  when  the  unwonted 
associations  of  a  foreign  clime  seem  to  leave  an  indelible 
impression  on  the  memory  of  the  traveller.  Here  were  the 
dazzling  sparks  of  the  glow-worm,  glaring  upon  us  like  a 
greeting  from  our  far-off  home,  and  in  countless  masses 
glittering  upon  the  dewy  stalks  of  the  floating  prairie.  In 
the  midst  of  these  were  fastened  onr  boats,  hemmed  in  as 
firmly  as  though  they  were  enclosed  by  polar  ice.  Loud 


HIPPOPOTAMUSES. 


Ill 


was  the  rushing  of  the  stream  as  it  forced  a  way  along  its 
contracted  course ;  but  louder  still  was  the  incessant  splash- 
ing of  the  emerging  hippopotamuses,  which  had  been  driven 
by  the  vessels,  as  it  were,  into  a  corner,  and  were  at  a  loss, 
like  ourselves,  how  to  go  on  or  to  retreat.  Until  daybreak 
their  disquietude  continued,  and  it  seemed  as  though  their 
numbers  kept  increasing,  till  there  was  quite  a  crowd  of 
them.  Already  during  the  afternoon  they  had  afforded  a 
singular  sight :  whilst  about  half  of  our  men  were  wading 
in  shallow  water  and  straining  at  the  ropes,  they  found  that 
they  had  entirely  enclosed  no  less  than  six  hippopotamuses, 
whose  huge  flesh-coloured  carcases,  dappled  with  brown, 
rose  above  the  surface  of  the  water  in  a  way  but  rarely  seen. 
A  cross-fire  was  opened  upon  them  from  several  vessels,  but 
I  could  not  make  any  use  of  my  elephant  rifle,  because  about 
200  of  our  men  were  towing  upon  my  line  of  sight.  The 
clumsy  brutes  snorted  and  bellowed,  and  rolled  against  each 
other  in  their  endeavours  to  escape ;  their  ponderous  weight 
bore  down  the  tangle  of  the  water-growth,  and  the  splashing 
was  prodigious. 

Four  days  had  now  been  consumed  in  this  strain  and 
struggle ;  after  a  final  and  unavailing  effort  on  the  fifth 
day,  there  seemed  no  alternative  but  to  go  back  and  make 
trial  of  another  and  more  northerly  branch  of  this  bewilder- 
ing canal-system.  We  succeeded  in  our  retrograde  movement 
so  far  as  to  attain  an  open  basin,  and  found  that  we  had  only 
the  distance  of  about  200  feet  to  get  over,  in  order  that  we 
might  reach  the  spot  whereat  the  various  streams  of  the 
Upper  Nile  unite.  This  place  on  the  maps  is  distinguished 
by  the  name  of  Lake  No,  but  the  sailors  always  call  it 
Mogren-el-Bohoor,  i.e.,  the  mouth  of  the  streams.  The 
difficulties  which  met  us  here  were  apparently  quite  hopeless. 
Our  boats  were  not  only  heavily  laden  with  corn,  but,  formed 
of  the  heaviest  wood,  their  build  was  unusually  broad  and 
massive.    Yet  heavy  and  unwieldy  as  they  were  there  was 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICxl. 


no  alternative  than  literally  to  drag  them  over  the  grass. 
By  dint,  however,  of  main  forc6,  before  the  day  was  out  the 
task  was  accomplished.  The  grass  mass  itself  was  lifted  and 
pushed  in  front,  whilst  the  men  turned  their  backs  against 
the  sides  of  the  boats,  and  pressed  them  on  from  behind.  I 
was  the  only  passenger  to  remain  on  board,  because  being 
fearful  of  a  chill  which  might  result  in  fever,  I  could  not 
venture  into  the  water. 

What  the  maps  call  Lake  No  is  merely  the  expanded 
mouth  of  the  meeting  waters.  The  current  flowing  from  the 
south  from  the  Bahr-el-Gebel  passes  along  its  apparent  shores, 
which  are  projecting  masses  of  papyrus.  In  order  to  reacli 
the  Gazelle  it  is  necessary  to  bend  westwards  along  the 
gradually  narrowing  lake-basin.  At  no  season  of  the  year  is 
this  water  otherwise  than  shallow ;  even  at  the  time  of  our 
retrograde  voyage,  when  the  floods  were  highest,  we  stranded 
more  than  once.  Floating  islands  of  papyrus  of  considerable 
extent  were  visible  every  here  and  there,  and  broke  the 
uniformity  of  the  expanse. 

The  passage  which  leads  to  the  Gazelle  has  the  essential 
properties  of  running  water,  although  the  stream  itself  is  in 
winter  scarcely  perceptible.  The  river,  however,  is  sur- 
rounded by  such  a  multiplicity  of  backwaters  and  waters 
remaining  in  old  river-beds,  that  the  united  volume  of  such 
a  number  of  streams  as  I  saw  emptying  themselves  into  it, 
at  various  times,  through  some  hundreds  of  miles,  could  not 
possibly  find  its  exit  through  this  single,  channel  alone. 
Petherick,  in  1863,  at  the  period  when  the  water-floods  were 
as  low  as  possible,  estimated  the  volume  of  waters  to  be 
rolling  on  at  the  rate  of  3042  cubic  feet  a  second ;  but  he 
must  have  referred  simply  to  the  navigable  channel  at  the 
mouth,  without  intending  to  represent  that  the  calculation 
referred  to  the  entire  mass  of  the  waters. 

It  remains  still  a  matter  of  dispute  which  of  the  two 
currents  slionld  be  considered  as  the  main  stream.  Accord- 


THE  GAZELLE. 


113 


ing  to  analogy,  as  the  Sobat  is  related  to  the  Blue  Nile,  so 
the  Bahr-el-Gebel  is  to  the  Bahr-el-Abiad,  just  as  the  Blue 
Nile  is  to  the  Nile  of  Egypt. 

One  of  the  objects  contemplated  in  my  journey  was  to 
show  the  importance  of  the  western  affluents  of  the  Nile 
which  unite  in  the  Gazelle ;  and  I  have  given  evidence  that, 
one  way  and  another,  they  traverse  a  region  of  not  less  than 
150,000  square  miles.  When  I  mention  that  in  1863  Speke 
called  the  Gazelle  "  an  unimportant  branch,"  *  and  moreover 
that  Baker  has  spoken  of  its  magnitude  with  great  depre- 
ciation, in  reply,  I  might  allude  to  another  interesting  fact  in 
geographical  annals.  Not  only  did  Bruce,  a  hundred  years 
ago,  suppose  that  he  had  discovered  the  sources  of  the  Nile 
in  Abyssinia,  just  where  a  hundred  years  previously  they 
had  been  marked  upon  the  Portuguese  maps ;  but  he  repre- 
sented the  Bahr-el-Abiad  as  an  inconsiderable  stream,  which 
joined  the.  stream  of  his  discovery  at  Halfaya,  Khartoom  at 
that  time  being  not  in  existence.  But  it  is  absolutely  im- 
possible that  Bruce  could  have  returned  from  Sennaar  to 
Berber  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Blue  Nile,  and  could  have 
crossed  at  its  mouth  from  the  very  spot  where  Khartoom 
now  stands,  without  being  aware  that  close  behind  him  there 
was  rolling  its  waters  a  stream  as  broad  again  as  the  Blue 
Nile.  The  record  of  his  travels  does  not  contain  one 
word  about  the  White  Nile.  The  plain  truth  is  that  the 
White  Nile  was  overlooked  and  disparaged,  because  it 
would  have  thrown  his  Blue  Nile  in  the  shade.f  Ismail 
"Pasha  was  quite  right  in  saying  that  every  fresh  xifrican 
traveller  had  his  own  private  sources  of  the  Nile;  but  for 


*  Speko,  p.  G09 :  "  We  found  on'y  a  small  piece  of  water,  resembling  a 
duck-pond  buried  in  a  sea  of  rushes." 

t  The  words  of  the  far-famed  traveller  are  :— "  It  runs  from  Sennaar  past 
many  considerable  villages,  which  are  inhabited  by  white  men  of  Arabia. 
Here  it  passes  by  Gerri  [now  Khartoom],  in  a  north-easterly  direction,  so 
as  to  join  the  Tacazze." — Bruce,  b.  vi.  c.  1  i. 


114 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


my  part  I  am  not  at  all  ashamed  to  confess  that  I  have  not 
foimd  them. 

The  wind  was  favourable,  and  so  long  as  the  course 
maintained  a  north-westerly  direction  we  made  a  rapid  pro- 
gress. The  main  channel  gradually  contracted,  however,  and 
deviated  into  many  abrupt  meanderings,  which  had  to  be 
traversed  by  pushing  and  driving  with  poles.  Here,  too,  the 
apparent  banks  consisted  of  floating  grass-tangle,  though 
further  off  the  pasturing  herds  of  the  Dinka  showed  the  true 
position  of  the  mainland,  whilst  the  ridge  of  forest  beyond 
indicated  the  limit  to  which  the  inundations  had  extended. 
North  of  the  mouth  of  the  Gazelle  the  boundaries  of  the 
Shillooks  and  the  Dinka  meet  each  other,  and  the  interven- 
ing territory  is  inhabited  by  the  Nueir. 

In  some  places  amongst  the  grass-tangle  I  made  an  attempt 
to  botanize,  and  out  of  the  numerous  holes  I  fished  up  a 
variety  of  most  interesting  plants.  The  Gazelle  is  specially 
noted  for  the  beauty  of  its  water-lilies  {Nymphsea  stellata  and 
N.  lotus).  Blossoms  of  these,  in  every  variety  of  hue — white, 
blue,  and  crimson — well-nigh  everywhere  adorn  the  surface 
of  the  water;  rooted  below  they  project  their  long  stalks 
and  leaves  through  the  apertures,  like  fishes,  in  the  winter,  to 
catch  the  air  through  holes  in  the  ice.  Should  any  one  make 
a  grasp  at  a  blossom  and  fail  to  make  good  his  hold,  it  may 
happen  that  the  entire  plant  will  make  an  elastic  rebound 
and  disappear  beneath  the  grass.  During  the  afternoon  our 
course  was  N.W:  and  W.N.W.,  which  is  the  general  direction 
of  the  Gazelle  throughout  its  lower  half.  The  stream  became 
wider  again,  the  banks  continuing  to  be  lined  by  an  impene- 
trable grass  jungle.  Remarkable  dark-coloured  water-birds 
{Tlotus  melanogaster)  are  found  in  considerable  numbers  upon 
the  shores,  intent  upon  making  prey  of  small  fishes.  They 
settle  upon  the  bushes,  and  one  may  every  now  and  then  be 
seen  to  make  a  sudden  dive  into  the  water,  bring  up  a  little 
fish  in  its  beak,  and  resume  its  previous  perch.  Amongst 


A  GHATTAS  BIRD. 


115 


the  people  of  Khartoom  this  bird  is  called  the  "  Ghattas,"  a 
name  which  invested  it  with  a  special  interest  to  me  as  being 
the  name  of  my  temporary  protector. 

For  some  few  days  past,  just  before  sunset,  great  masses 
of  tiny  green  flies  had  made  their  appearance.  Although 
these  were  in  no  respect  injurious,  yet  the  buzzing  they  made 
and  the  choking  cough  which  was  caused  by  their  numbers 
were  anything  but  agreeable.  Shortly  after  dark  they 
retreated,  only  to  appear  again  in  the  early  dawn.  Much 
more  pertinacious  were  the  spotty-legged  gnats,  which  now 
began  to  torment  us  when  the  nights  were  not  cool  enough 
to  disperse  them.  Everybody  on  board  had  provided  him- 
self for  protection  with  a  sack  made  of  calico  in  which  he 
slept,  the  result  of  which  was  ordinarily  a  temperature  of 
some  80°  Fahr.,  about  the  same  as  a  regular  vapour-bath. 
These  gnats  did  not  buzz  about  with  so  loud  a  noise,  but 
their  sting  was  much  more  decided.  They  might  not  cause 
such  a  lasting  itching  as  some  of  their  northern  kindred,  but 
the  knack  they  had  of  finding  a  way  for  their  proboscis 
through  the  thickest  cotton  till  it  reached  one's  skin,  made 
it  o»ly  possible  to  keep  them  off  by  means  of  mosquito-nets. 
But  altogether  I  reckoned  this  visitation  as  hardly  worth  the 
notice  of  a  traveller  who  had  grown  up  amongst  the  gnats  of 
the  teeming  marshes  of  the  north. 

The  Bahr-el-Ghazal  may  in  some  respects  be  compared  to 
the  Havel  as  it  flows  between  Potsdam  and  Brandenburg;  the 
two  rivers  are  not  dissimilar  in  their  excess  of  floating  vege- 
tation, composed  of  plants  which,  to  a  great  extent,  are 
identical  in  their  generic  character.  Frequently  the  breadth 
is  not  more  than  enough  for  a  single  vessel,  but  the  depth  could 
not  be  fathomed  by  our  longest  poles,  and  so  revealed  what 
was  the  enormous  volume  of  water  concealed  by  the  carpet  of 
grass  for  two  hundred  paces,  on  either  hand.  What  ordina- 
rily appears  to  be  land  assumes  at  high  water  the  aspect  of 
an  extensive  lake.    The  general  uniformity  of  level  prevents 


116  THE  HEAET  OF  AFEICA. 

any  extensive  range  of  vision ;  but  I  had  only  to  mount  the 
roof  of  my  cabin,  and,  by  observing  the  distance  between  the 
woods  that  skirted  the  prospect,  I  could  approximately  esti- 
mate the  width  of  the  river-bed.    Nowhere  did  it  appear 


Halainiceps  Rex. 


to  me  to  extend,  like  the  valley  of  the  Egyptian  Nile,  to 
a  breadth  of  eight  miles ;  and  certainly,  without  further  evi- 
dence, I  cannot  agree  with  former  travellers,  wlio  describe 
it  as  being  a  lake  or  marsh  of  which  the  boundaries  are 
unlimited. 


BAL.ENICEPS  REX. 


117 


Neither  crocodiles  nor  hippopotamuses  are  here  to  be 
observed.  The  absence  of  settled  river-banks  prohibits  the 
Upper  Nile  from  being  the  resort  of  the  former ;  the  defi- 
ciency of  sand-banks  would  permit  no  life  to  the  latter,  which 
therefore  make  good  their  retreat  to  the  narrower  streams  of 
the  interior. 

The  second  day  of  our  voyage  along  the  river  brougbt  us 
to  the  district  tenanted  by  the  Nueir.  We  found  them 
peacefully  pasturing  their  flocks  and  herds  beside  their  huts, 
and  betraying  nothing  like  fear.  They  had  been  represented 
to  me  as  an  intelligent  people ;  seeming  to  know  what  they 
had  to  expect  or  to  dread,  they  were  disposed  for  friendly 
intercourse  with  the  Khartoom  people,  who,  in  their  turn, 
were  not  inclined  to  commit  any  act  of  violence  upon  their 
territory.  Two  years  and  a  half  later,  at  the  period  of  our 
return,  all  this  was  unfortunately  changed,  and  landing  was 
impossible. 

Most  of  the  Nueir  villages  lie  on  a  spot  where  the  Gazelle 
m9,kes  a  bend  from  a  north-east  to  a  south-westerly  direc- 
tion. As  we  were  making  our  way  past  the  enclosures  which 
lie  on  either  side  of  the  stream,  my  attention  was  arrested  by 
the  sight  of  a  number  of  some  of  th.e  most  remarkable  birds 
that  are  found  in  Africa.  Strutting  along  the  bank,  they 
were  employing  their  broad  bills  to  grope  in  the  slimy 
margins  of  the  stream  for  fish.  The  bird  was  the  Balsenicejps 
Bex,  a  curiosity  of  the  rarest  kind,  known  amongst  the 
sailors  as  the  Abu-Markoob  (or  slipper-shape),  a  name  derived 
from  the  peculiar  form  of  its  beak.  It  scientific  name  is  due 
to  the  disproportionate  magnitude  of  its  head.  Before  1850 
no  skins  of  this  bird  had  been  conveyed  to  Europe ;  and  it 
appeared  unaccountable  to  naturalists  how  a  bird  of  such 
size,  not  less  than  four  feet  high,  and  of  a  shape  so  remark- 
able, should  hitherto  have  remained  unknown ;  they  were 
not  aware  that  its  habitat  is  limited  to  a  narrow  range,  which 
it  does  not  quit.    Except  by  the  Gazelle  and  in  the  central 


118 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


district  of  the  Bahr-el-Gebel,  the  Balseniceps  has  never  been 
known  to  breed. 

The  first  that  appeared  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  hit  with 
a  rifle  ball,  which  wounded  it  in  its  back,  and  brought  it 
down :  we  measured  its  wings,  and  found  them  to  be  more 
than  six  feet  across.  Another  was  struck,  but  although  it 
was  pursued  by  an  active  party  of  Nubians,  it  effected  an 
escape.  As  generally  observed,  the  bird  is  solitary,  and  sits 
in  retired  spots ;  its  broad  beak  reclines  upon  its  crop, 
and  it  stands  upon  the  low  ground  very  much  as  it  is 
represented  in  the  accompanying  illustration:  it  rarely 
occupies  the  ant-hills  which  every  here  and  there  rise 
some  feet  above  the  vegetation.  The  great  head  of  the 
bird  rises  over  the  tall  blades  of  grass  and  ever  betrays 
its  position.  Its  general  structure  would  class  it  between 
a  pelican  and  a  heron,  whilst  its  legs  resemble  those  of  a 
maraboo  ;  it  snaps  with  its  beak,  and  can  make  a  clattering 
noise  like  the  stork.  This  Balaeniceps  would  seem  to  furnish 
a  proof  that  not  everything  in  nature  is  perfectly  adapted 
to  its  end,  for  when  the  birds  are  full  grown,  they  never 
have  their  beaks  symmetrical.  The  upper  part  does  not  cor- 
respond with  the  lower the  two  members  fall  apart,  and, 
like  an  old  woman's  jaws,  go  all  awry.  The  colour  of  their 
plumage  in  winter  is  a  dingy  light  brown,  their  wings  are 
black,  and  they  seem  to  fly  with  difficulty,  carrying  their  un- 
graceful heads  upon  their  necks  at  full  stretch,  like  a  heron. 
They  build  in  the  rainy  season,  always  close  to  the  open 
water,  forming  their  great  nests  of  ambatch-stalks. 

At  the  next  groups  of  huts  we  made  a  stop,  and  did  some 
bartering  with  the  Nueir,  who  brought  sheep  and  goats  for 
exchange.  Here,  in  the  heart  of  the  Nueir  population,  in  a 
district  called  Nyeng,  we  fixed  our  quarters  untrl  the  16th.  1 
made  use  of  the  time  to  spend  the  whole  day  in  my  ambatch- 
canoe,  collecting  the  water-plants  from  the  river. 

The  Nueir  are  a  warlike  tribe,  somewhat  formidable  to  the 


THE  NUEIR. 


119 


Dinka.  They  ocbupy  a  territory  by  the  mouths  of  the  two 
tributaries  of  the  White  Nile,  and  are  evidently  hemmed  in 
by  hostile  neighbours.  In  most  of  their  habits  they  resemble 
alike  the  Shillooks  and  the  Dinka,  although  in  their  dialect 
they  differ  from  both.  The  pasturage  of  herds  is  their  chief 
pursuit.  The  traveller  who  would  depict  their  peculiarities 
must  necessarily  repeat  much  of  what  he  has  already  re- 
corded about  the  other  tribes.  With  regard  to  apparel  it  will 
suffice  to  say  that  the  men  go  absolutely  naked,  the  women 
are  modestly  girded,  and  the  girls  wear  an  apron  formed  of 
a  fringe  of  grass.  Their  hair  is  very  frequently  dyed  of  a 
tawny-red  hue  by  being  bound  up  for  a  fortnight  in  a  compo 
of  ashes  and  cow-duug ;  but  occasionally  it  is  cut  quite  short. 
Some  of  them  weave  cotton  threads  into  a  kind  of  peruke, 
which  they  stain  with  red  ochre,  and  use  for  decoration 
where  natural  locks  are  not  abundant.  Their  huts  resemble 
those  of  the  Dinka;  always  clean,  the  dwellings  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  trampled  floor;  the  sleeping-place  inside  is 
formed  of  ashes  of  cow-dung,  burnt  perfectly  white,  and  is 
warmer  and  better  than  any  mosquito-net. 

Nowhere  in  the  world  could  a  better  illustration  be 
afforded  of  the  remarkable  law  of  Nature  which  provides 
that  similar  conditions  of  existence  should  produce  corres- 
ponding types  amongst  all  ranks  of  animal  creation.  It  does 
not  admit  of  a  doubt  that  men  and  beasts  in  many  districts 
of  which  the  natural  features  are  in  marked  contrast  to  the 
surrounding  parts  do  exhibit  singular  coincidences,  and  that 
they  do  display  a  certain  agreement  in  their  tendencies.  The 
confirmation  of  this  resemblance  which  is  offered  by  the 
Shillooks,  the  Nueir,  and  the  Dinka  is  very  complete ;  these 
tribes,  stationed  on  the  low  marshy  flats  which  adjoin  the 
«  river,  are  altogether  different  in  habit  to  those  which  dwell 
among  the  crags  and  rocks  of  the  interior.  "  They  give  the 
impression,"  says  my  predecessor  Heuglin,  "that  amongst 
men  they  hold  very  much  the  same  place  that  flamingoes,  as 


120 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


birds,  hold  with  reference  to  the  rest  of  the  feathered  race  ; " 
and  he  is  right.  The  dwellers  in  these  marsh-lands  would 
probably  have  a  web  between  their  toes  were  it  not  compen- 
sated by  the  flatness  of  their  feet  and  the  unusual  prolongation 
of  the  heel.  Another  remarkable  similarity  is  the  way  in 
which,  like  the  birds  of  the  marshes,  they  are  accustomed  for 
an  hour  at  a  time  to  stand  motionless  on  one  leg,  supporting 
the  other  above  the  knee.  Their  leisurely  long  stride 
over  the  rushes  is  only  to  be  compared  to  that  of  a  stork. 
Lean  and  lanky  limbs,  a  long,  thin  neck  on  which  rests 
a  small  and  narrov/  head,  give  a  finishing  touch  to  the 
resemblance. 

Leaving  the  last  dwellings  of  the  Nueir  behind  us,  we 
arrived  on  the  following  day  at  the  first  wood  which  is  to  be 
observed  on  the  banks  of  the  Gazelle.  Ant-hills  of  more  than 
ten  feet  high  are  here  scattered  in  every  direction,  and  alone 
break  the  universal  levelness  of  the  plain.  They  are  not  un- 
frequently  found  in  the  heart  of  a  thicket,  because  originally 
the  stem  of  a  tree  served  as  the  central  axis  of  the  earthy 
structure.  Dead  and  withered  though  this  had  been,  it 
sprouted  out  afresh  from  the  roots,  provided  that  these  had 
been  uninjured  by  the  passages  of  the  ants.  Vestiges  of  the 
floods  are  traceable  upon  them,  and  show  that  the  average 
difference  between  the  highest  and  lowest  level  of  the  water 
is  from  three  to  four  feet. 

The  river  wends  its  way  through  charming  wood-scenery, 
meandering  amidst  groves  gay  with  the  red  bindweed 
(Ipomeea),  amidst  which  now  and  then  a  tall  tamarind  uproars 
itself.  Here  I  mot  with  a  fresh  representative  of  the  flora 
of  Central  Africa  in  the  tree-like  Euphorbia  with  its  arms 
outspread  like  candelabras.  This  can  be  distinguished  from 
the  Euphorbia  of  the  Abyssinian  highlands,  mentioned  in  t 
Chapter  I.,  by  the  involved  confusion  of  its  branches.  Its 
eccentric  shapes  would  seem  to  fill  a  place  in  Africa  which  in 
America  is  supplied  by  the  order  of  the  Cactaceae ;  it  also 


ALONG  THE  GAZELLE. 


121 


serves  like  the  Mexican  Cf reus  for  the  enclosure  of  estates, 
as  slips  taken  from  its  branches  readily  take  root  in  the 
ground.  The  sportsman  could  here  reckon  on  a  good  bag, 
for  the  widow-ducks  which  swarmed  upon  the  papyrus  were 
brought  down  at  every  shot,  and  were  serviceable  for  the 
table.  Our  people  were  all  expert  swimmers,  and  they 
continually  fished  out  of  the  stream  the  birds  which  were 
struck,  while  their  sport  in  no  way  ever  hindered  the  progress 
of  our  craft. 

The  wind  next  day  was  not  propitious,  and  the  boats  were 
obliged  to  stay  beside  a  grass  tangle  by  the  bank.  I  made 
use  of  the  detention  to  enjoy  a  little  fishii^g  for  water-plants. 
The  water-lilies  surpassed  all  description,  and  would  adorn 
any  Victoria-house.  Unfortunately  I  could  not  succeed  in 
•  transferring  to  this  region  the  queen  of  the  waters.  The 
Victoria  regia  seed,  which  I  had  brought  for  the  purpose  in 
pots,  would  never  germinate ;  perhaps,  although  it  was  pre- 
served in  water,  the  heat  of  my  cabin  during  my  voyage  was 
too  great  and  destroyed  its  vitality.  I  can  only  boast  of 
having  naturalised  in  this  district  of  Central  Africa  two 
plants  as  representatives  of  culture  in  Europe — the  sun-flower 
and  the  tomato.  The  river,  which  is  ordinarly  about  300  feet 
wide,  abounds  in  thick  masses  of  potamogeton,  trapa,  and 
yellow  ottelia.  The  seeds  of  this  last  plant  much  resemble 
the  sesamum,  growing  like  the  seeds  of  the  Nymphsea  in  a 
slimy  gelatinous  mass ;  they  are  collected  by  the  natives,  and, 
after  being  dried,  are  pounded  down  into  a  sort  of  meal, 
which  the  sailors  of  Khartoom  assured  me  was  a  wholesome 
and  excellent  remedy  for  indigestion.  It  surprised  me  very 
much  to  learn  that  the  eatableness  of  the  water-nut  (Tra'pa) 
was  unknown  to  the  Dinka,  although  it  grew  in  such  abund- 
ance on  the  river. 

We  landed,  towards  evening,  close  below  the  mouth  of  the 

Bahr-el-Arab  in  a  forest  of  lofty  trees,  where  the  West 

African  Stephegyne  appears  to  find  its  extreme  eastern 
Vol.  L— 10 


122 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


limit.  The  wood  of  this  species^of  Kubiacese  is  somewhat 
soft  and  light,  but  its  branches  make  masts  for  the  boats  of  a 
strength  and  straightness  unequalled  by  any  other  growth 
in  these  countries,  where  wood  adapted  for  erections  of  any 
sort  is  so  notably  scarce. 

The  Gazelle,  at  the  place  where  the  Bahr-el-Arab  empties 
itself,  has  a  width  of  about  1000  feet.  This  mouth  is  itself 
not  much  less,  but  just  above  the  mouth  the  condition  of 
the  Gazelle  is  so  different  that  it  must  be  evident  to  every 
sailor  that  the  Bahr-el-Arab  plays  a  very  important  part  in 
contributing  to  the  entire  system. 

What  the  sailors  mean  by  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal  is  really 
only  the  channel  as  far  as  they  navigate  it ;  to  them  it  is 
not  a  stream,  in  a  hydrographical  sense,  such  as  either  the 
Bahr-el-Arab  or  the  Bahr-el-Dyoor.  It  is  only  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Bahr-el-Arab  that  there  first  appears  a  measurable 
current,  and  the  fairway,  which  up  to  that  point  is  not  above 
15  feet  deep,  is  subsequently  never  less  than  twice  that 
depth.  After  getting  every  information  I  could  in  the  re- 
motest west,  I  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Bahr-el-Arab 
is  the  main  stream.  Even  at  a  distance  of  300  miles  above 
its  mouth  it  is  found  throughout  the  year  as  a  stream  which 
cannot  be  forded,  but  must  be  crossed  in  boats,  whilst  the 
Bahr-el-Dyoor  cannot  be  traced  at  all  at  so  great  a  distance 
from  its  union  with  the  Nile.  The  plains  through  which 
the  Gazelle  flows  are  too  level  to  allow  of  any  recognition 
at  first  sight  of  the  true  limits  of  the  territory  subject  to  its 
inundations.  Any  one,  however,  who  is  familiar  with  the  ' 
character  of  the  vegetation  of  the  country,  will  easily  detect 
symptoms  from  which  he  could  form  a  tolerably  correct 
opinion.  Accordingly,  on  my  return  journey  in  1871,  I 
gathered  ample  evidence  to  satisfy  myself  that  the  Gazelle, 
associated  as  it  is  with  the  Bahr-el-Arab  and  the  Bahr-el- 
Dyoor,  is  a  river  just  as  truly  as  either  of  the  others.  The 
fall  of  the  water  in  the  Gazelle  is  only  produced  by  the  tor- 


STKEAM  OF  THE  GAZELLE. 


123 


rent  driven  from  the  south  and  west,  and  may  hardly  admit 
of  being:  estimated,  since  the  entire  difference  measured 
between  Khartoom  and  the  Meshera  (the  termination  of 
the  navigable  course)  does  not  altogether  amount  to  100 
feet. 

An  important  change  in  the  scenery  of  the  shores  super- 
venes upon  a  further  progress.  The  lake-like  surface  of  the 
water  gives  to  the  -Bahr-el-Grhazal  the  semblance  at  first 
sight  of  being  merely  an  extensive  backwater.  That  just 
above  the  mouth  of  a  stream  so  considerable  as  the  Bahr-el- 
Arab  there  should  be  this  abundance  of  water  at  the  very 
time  of  the  year  when  it  is  at  its  lowest  ebb,  is  a  circum- 
stance which  cannot  fail  to  confirm  the  supposition  which  1 
entertained  when  I  entered  the  Gazelle :  I  was  certain  that 
the  narrow  channel  through  which  we  travelled  in  the  dis- 
trict of  the  Nueir  could  not  possibly  be  the  entire  river ; 
and  there  surely  must  exist  to  the  north  of  the  river  other 
not  inconsiderable  arms,  which  are  inaccessible  on  account 
of  the  denseness  of  the  river  grass. 

Unhindered  by  any  material  obstacles,  our  course  now 
lay  between  floating  islands,  which  were  partly  adorned  with 
variegated  blossoms,  and  partly  loaded  with  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  splendid  ferns.  The  poles  sufficed  to  keep  the 
boats  from  the  floating  vegetation,  the  masses  of  which  were 
as  unyielding  as  though  they  had  been  sheets  of  ice.  It 
was  evident  by  the  motion  of  these  masses,  that  the  current, 
though  it  flowed  languidly,  had  a  continued  progress  towards 
the  east.  The  river  only  varies  in  depth  from  about  8  to  14 
feet.  The  bed  presents  the  appearance  of  a  meadow,  in 
which  little  bright  tortoises  enjoy  their  pasture.  This  sub- 
merged sward  is  composed  exclusively  of  the  Ethiopian  val- 
lisneria,  of  which  the  female  blossoms,  affixed  to  spiral 
peduncles,  rise  from  a  fathom  deep  to  the  surface  of  the 
stream,  their  coiling  stalks  extending  far  and  wide.  Very 
wonderful  is  this  plant  in  its  sexual  development;  its 


124 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


northern  asters  haunt  the  waters  of  the  Po  and  of  the  Khone, 
and  have  furnished  a  theme  for  the  admiration  of  the  poet. 

Far  away,  on  either  side,  beyond  the  flooded  borders  of 
the  grassy  river-bed  could  be  discerned,  at  a  distance  of  a 
league  or  two,  large  tracts  of  forest  land ;  and  between  the 
river  and  the  line  of  woods  which  stretched  to  the  horizon 
there  could  be  observed  the  cumbrous  shapes  of  elephants 
going  to  and  fro,  and  demonstrating  that  there  at  least  the 
land  was  firm. 

The  channel,  which  we  rapidly  passed  along  under  favour- 
able breezes,  became  continually  broader,  and  the  nearer 
we  approached  the  river  source,  the  more  the  banks  seemed 
to  recede  from  each  other.  The  sight  of  men,  fishing  out 
of  canoes  formed  by  a  couple  of  hollow  stems  being  fastened 
together,  made  us  aware  that  we  were  approaching  the  dwell- 
ings of  the  Dinka,  and  soon  after  we  came  upon  the  enclo- 
sures for  cattle  surrounded  by  low  thatch  huts  upon  the  left 
bank.  Sailing  on  towards  the  south  and  south-east,  we 
approximated  to  the  limit  of  our  voyage.  A  great  cracking 
up  in  the  air  revealed  to  us  that  the  sailyard  had  once  more 
broken,  so  that  it  was  only  by  main  force,  by  pushing  arid 
pulling,  that  we  managed  to  reach  a  large  Dinka  village, 
which  lay  on  the  west,  almost  at  the  extremity  of  the  stream. 
Here  was  the  cul-de-sac^  to  which  the  Dinka  have  given  the 
name  of  the  Kyt.  We  had  quite  recently  passed  the  mouth 
of  the  Dyoor,  which  appears  to  separate  into  several  streams  ; 
but  if  my  attention  had  not  been  called  to  this  circumstance 
by  the  Keis,  I  should  certainly  never  have  observed  it,  on 
account  of  the  uniform  features  of  that  watery  region.  In 
our  delight  at  having  so  quickly,  and  without  misadventure, 
accomplished  our  passage  up  the  Gazelle,  we  had  a  night  of 
feasting  and  merry-making. 

The  remainder  of  the  journey  was  soon  completed,  and  in 
the  early  morning  hours  of  the  22nd  of  February  we  found 
ourselves  at  the  Meshera,  the  landing-place  of  all  who  resort 


MESHERA  ON  THE  GAZELLE. 


125 


to  the  Gazelle.  This  place  is  marked  in  the  maps  as  Port 
Rek,  called  so  from  the  Rek,  a  section  of  the  Dinka.  These 
Rek  people  were  the  first  allies  among  the  natives  that  the 
new  comers  had  acquired,  and  they  had  been  accustomed 
to  provide  them  with  bearers  long  before  the  Khartoom 
merchants  had  established  any  settlements  in  the  interior. 
Deducting  the  days  on  which  w^e  had  not  proceeded,  our 
boats  had  taken  thirty  days  in  going  from  Khartoom  to  the 
Meshera.  I  had  been  anxious  to  make  a  good  investigation 
of  the  river  banks;  otherwise  the  voyage  might  easily  be 
accomplished  in  twenty  days. 

Above  the  mouth  of  the  Dyoor,  so  difficult  of  access,  the 
deep  channel  is  continued  for  a  space  of  sixteen  miles,  when 
it  forms  the  cul-de-sac  which  I  have  mentioned :  there  is  not 
the  least  current  when  the  waters  are  all  at  their  height ; 
but  in  March  and  April  there  may  at  some  places  be  observed 
a  retrograde  motion  of  the  stream.  It  is  manifestly  an 
ancient  bed  of  the  Dyoor,  or  of  some  river  which  in  the 
lapse  of  ^time  has  changed  its  course.  It  is  not  easy  to 
explain  it,  but  the  stream  seemed  to  me,  as  I  think  I  could 
farther  demonstrate,,  the  navigable  overflow  of  some  inland 
liman,  that  is,  the  receptacle  of  a  number  of  considerable 
rivulets  meeting  together,  something  like  what  the  delta  of 
the  Canton  river  would  be,  if  it  could  be  levelled,  filled  up, 
and  carried  away  inland.  The  uniform  depth  of  the  channel 
might  seem  to  originate  in  some  freak  in  the  conformation 
of  the  ground,  or  of  the  masses  of  vegetation,  which  are 
irregularly  scattered  about ;  but  really  it  is  only  an  indica- 
tion of  a  condition  of  things  long  passed  away,  when  the 
mainstream  flowed  through  better  defined  and  more  con- 
tracted borders. 

Let  us  for  a  moment  review  the  impressions  we  have 
gained.  The  volume  of  water  brought  by  the  Gazelle  to 
swell  the  Nile  is  still  an  unsolved  problem.  In  the  con- 
tention as  to  which  stream  is  entitled  to  rank  as  first-born 


126  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

among  the  children  of  the  great  river  god,  the  Bahr-el- 
Ghazal  has  apparently  a  claim  in  every  way  as  valid  as  the 
Bahr-el-G-ebel.  In  truth,  it  would  appear  to  stand  in  the 
same  relation  to  the  Bahr-el-Gebel  as  the  White  Nile  does 
to  the  Blue.  At  the  season  when  the  waters  are  highest, 
the  inundations  of  the  Gazelle  spread  over  a  very  wide  terri- 
tory ;  about  March,  the  time  of  year  when  they  are  lowest, 
the  river  settles  down,  in  its  upper  section,  into  a  number  of 
vast  pools  of  nearly  stagnant  water,  whilst  its  lower  portion 
runs  off  into  divers  narrow  and  sluggish  channels.  These 
channels,  overgrown  as  they  look  with  massy  vegetation, 
conceal  beneath  (either  in  their  open  depth,  or  mingled  with 
the  unfathomable  abyss  of  mud)  such  volumes  of  water  as 
defy  our  reckoning.  The  Gazelle  then  it  is  which  gives 
to  the  White  Nile  a  sufiScient  impetus  to  roll  its  waters 
onward ;  subsequently  the  Bahr-el-Gebel  finds  its  way  and 
contributes  a  more  powerful  element  to  the  progress  of  the 
stream.  It  must  all  along  be  borne  in  mind  that  there  are 
besides  two  other  streams,  the  Dyoor  and  the  Bahr-el-Arab, 
each  of  them  more  important  than  any  tributary  of  the 
Bahr-el-Gebel  ;  and  these  bring  in  their  own  influence. 
To  estimate  aright  the  true  relation  of  all  these  various 
tributaries  is  ever  opening  up  the  old  question  in  a  new 
light. 

The  ramifications  above  the  mouth  of  the  Bahr-el-Arab  are 
very  complicated,  and  must  be  very  imperfectly  traced  on  our 
present  maps.  The  map  issued  by  Lejean  has  many  details, 
but  must  be  accepted  with  caution,  and  requires  us  to  remem- 
ber that  paper  is  patient  of  error  as  well  as  of  truth.  Who- 
ever has  traversed  the  lakes  (so  to  call  them)  to  the  west  of 
the  Bahr-el-Arab,  has,  almost  immediately  beyond  the  mouth 
of  the  Dyoor,  come  upon  the  winding  channel  known  as  "the 
Kyt."  The  shores  of  the  Kyt  are  firm  ;  there  are  detached 
groups  of  papyrus  driven  by  the  wind  sometimes  to  its  one 
bank,  and  sometimes  to  the  other ;  its  waters  rise  and  fall,  but 


THE  KYT. 


127 


have  no  other  apparent  motion  ;  it  widens  at  its  extremity  into 
a  basin  of  papyrus,  which  was  now  open,  but  which  in  1863 
was  entirely  choked  by  ambatch.  Heuglin,  at  that  date,  dis- 
cerned, as  he  thought,  in  the  dwindled  and  distorted  stems 
a  prognostication  of  an  approaching  disappearance  of  the 
ambatch;  and  from  1869  to  1871  there  was  no  trace  of  it. 
Various  openings  are  made  by  the  water  towards  the  west 
among  the  masses  of  papyrus,  which  enclose  a  labyrinth  of 
little  wooded  islets.*  One  of  these  islands  is  the  resting- 
place  for  the  boats,  and  close  at  hand  the  voyagers  establish 
their  temporary  camp.  Being  surrounded  on  every  side  by 
the  water,  all  is  secure  from  any  hostile  attack.  The  regular 
landing-place  is  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  basin,  and 
thence  commence  the  expeditions  to  the  interior. 

Such  is  the  channel  which,  from  the  times  of  the  earliest 
explorers,  which  appear  to  extend  from  the  date  of  Nero's 
centurions,  mentioned  by  Seneca,  up  to  the  mercantile  enter- 
prises and  voyages  of  discoveries  of  the  last  ten  years,  has 
always  brought  boats  to  that  cul-de-sac,  called  by  the  Nubian 
sailors  their  Meshera.  The  first  boat,  which  actually  entered 
the  Gazelle,  was  that  of  a  Khartoom  merchant,  named 
Habeshy,  in  1854 ;  two  years  later  followed  Consul  Petherick, 
the  first  to  open  mercantile  transactions  with  the  tribes  resi- 
dent in  these  remote  regions. 

At  that  time,  when  nothing  was  known  either  of  the  Dyoor 
or  of  the  Bahr-el-Arab,  it  must  have  been  no  small  surprise 
to  the  first  explorers  to  see  a  stream  so  large  suddenly  end 
amongst  a  labyrinth  of  small  islands,  without  any  navigable 
affluent.  Only  by  the  help  of  a  native  pilot  was  such  a  dis- 
covery possible. 

I  was  compelled  to  linger  out  the  remainder  of  February 
and  the  greater  part  of  March  in  camp  upon  the  little 


♦  In  the  accompanying  plan  it  is  attempted  to  give  some  general  idea  of 
this  confusion. 


128 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


island,  pending  the  arrival  of  tlie  bearers  who  were  to  help 
me  onwards  to  Grhattas's  Seriba.  I  was  happy  in  escaping 
any  ill  effects  such  as  might  be  dreaded  from  a  protracted 
residence  by  this  unhealthy  river.  I  attributed  my  immu- 
nity in  great  measure  to  the  precautionary  use  of  quinine. 


The  Meshera. 

Although  by  my  daily  occupations,  botanising  in  swamps 
and  continually  wading  amongst  papyrus  clumps,  I  had  been 
more  exposed  to  malaria  than  many  others,  I  experienced  no 
sickness.  I  swallowed  every  day,  in  three  doses,  eight  or  nine 
grains  of  quinine,  enclosed  for  that  purpose  in  gelatine  cap- 
sules ;  this  method  is  to  be  strongly  recommended  to  every 


HALAEIOUS  ATMOSPHERE. 


129 


traveller,  since  the  intense  bitterness  of  the  medicine  taken 
in  its  undisguised  form  may  excite  a  degree  of  nausea  which, 
I  can  well  believe,  may  contribute  its  part  to  a  liability  to 
fever.  This  treatment  I  continued,  without  its  having  any 
ill  effect  upon  my  constitution,  until  I  could  dispense  with  it 
in  the  purer  air  of  the  interior.  I  suppose,  since  this  is  not 
an  universal  experience,  that  the  effects  of  the  alkaloids  may 
vary  with  different  patients,  and  therefore  it  would  be  well 
for  every  one  first  to  test  the  susceptibility  of  his  individual 
constitution. 

It  is  only  too  well  known  how  many  victims  this 
treacherous  climate  has  already  claimed;  it  may  without 
exaggeration  be  maintained,  that  half  the  travellers  who* 
have  ventured  into  the  swamps  have  succumbed  to  fever. 
The  highest  mortality  was  in  the  settlements  of  the  Austrian 
mission  in  Gondokoro  and  St.  Cross,  now  long  since  aban- 
doned. Miss  Tinne's  expedition  of  1863  suffered  the  loss  of 
five  out  of  its  nine  European  members,  among  them  my 
unfortunate  predecessor  in  the  botanical  investigation  of  this 
district.  Dr.  Steudner,  who  died  suddenly  quite  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  journey.  Heuglin,  too,  lost  the  greater  part  of  his 
valuable  time  in  continual  relapses  of  fever.  The  founda- 
tions of  these  miserable  attacks  had  probably  been  laid  in 
the  miasma,  of  which  the  traveller  had  inhaled  the  poison 
during  a  protracted  sojourn  in  the  Meshera.  The  latest 
Job's  comfort,  which  had  most  unnerved  me,  had  come  just 
as  I  was  embarking  at  Trieste.  The  French  Geographical 
Society  had,  a  few  months  previously,  sent  out  Le  Saint,  a 
naval  officer,  on  a  voyage  of  discovery,  having  for  its  object 
the  same  district  as  myself,  viz.,  the  Niam-niam  countries. 
His  outward  journey  had  been  much  lengthened  by  the 
grass  obstruction  in  the  Giraffe  stream,  and  he  died  before  he 
entered  the  country  in  which  his  more  extended  wanderings 
were  designed  to  commence. 

Before  quitting  the  Meshera  (the  only  landing-place  for 


i 


130 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


expeditions  starting  from  the  Gazelle)  I  will  make  a  few 
observations  on  the  natural  character,  scenery,  and  inha- 
bitants of  the  region  of  this  unique  island  world. 

The  Meshera  had  been  reached  by  eighteen  different 
boats  belonging  to  Kliartoom  merchants,  and  these  now  lay, 
half-buried  in  mud  and  clay,  firmly  wedged  in  the  jungle 
of  papyrus.  Every  new  comer  could,  only  by  great  exertions 
procure  a  fresh  resting-place.  For  that  purpose  they  pro- 
ceeded in  the  following  way:  they  backed  their  boat  a 
little  into  the  open  water,  and  anchored  ;  then  a  rope  was 
fastened  to  a  strong  mass  of  papyrus-roots,  which  it  towed 
with  its  loosened  clods  attached  into  open  water,  until  the 
breeze  carried  over  the  entire  floating  mass  to  the  opposite 
side  of  the  basin.  Thus  was  obtained  one  artificial  Delos 
after  another.  The  access  to  the  bank  is,  however,  still  left 
blocked  up  by  the  compact  border  of  papyrus  thus  conveyed 
across.  By  means  of  fire  and  hatchet  avenues  are  then 
opened,  and  the  long  roots  of  papyrus  are  piled  upon  the 
elastic  sward  of  its  stubble  until  an  available  pathway  is 
complete. 

Most  of  the  islands  are  adorned  by  graceful  masses  of 
bushes  and  by  light  groves  of  the  larger  trees,  but  the 
hatchet  of  strangers  every  year  is  altering  this  condition  of 
things.  In  spite  of  all  the  uniformity  of  the  tall  papyrus 
bushes,  and  notwithstanding  the  burnt  and  dry  appearan^^e 
of  the  steppe-grasses,  there  is  no  lack,  even  in  the  mild 
winter  of  this  little  island-world,  of  the  charms  of  scenery. 
The  dark  crowns  of  the  evergreen  tamarind  stand  out  in 
sharp  outline  against  the  bare  rugged  branches  of  the  aca- 
cias in  their  grey  winter  garb,  between  which  the  eccentric 
shapes  of  the  candelabra-euphorbise,  closely  interlaced, 
bound  the  horizon  in  every  direction,  and  form,  as  often  as 
the  eye  wanders  over  the  neighbouring  islands,  a  fine  grada- 
tion of  endless  shades  of  colour.  This  is  especially  notice- 
able in  the  early  morning,  when  at  sunrise  a  heavy  mist 


SECURITY  IN  THP:  MESHERA.  131 

hangs  over  the  Tiamp  flats,  and  sometimes  here,  sometimes 
there,  sets  limits  to  the  prospect,  in  a  way  that  would  lend 
enchantment  to  any  scenery. 

Protected  by  the  endless  ramifications  of  the  marshes 
against  any  attacks  of  dangerous  quadrupeds  from  the 
mainland,  the  sojourner,  here  had  only  the  most  determined 
of  all  depredators  to  fear,  namely,  man  himself.  But  even 
this  fear  was  not  really  great.  Nowhere  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  is  a  country  more  surrendered  to  robbery  and  lawless- 
ness than  this  district  of  Africa ;  but  still,  as  ever,  one  form 
of  mischief  balances  another  :  man  is  a  match  for  man  ;  and 
so  it  results  that  the  stranger  may  find  repose  and  security 
here  as  much  as  elsewhere.  The  natives,  who  occupy  the 
entire  land  in  a  wide  circumference  from  the  Meshera, 
form  a  portion  of  the  great  Dinka  family,  wliose  extreme 
outposts  extend  eastwards  towards  the  Egyptian  borders 
of  Upper  Sennaar,  and  whose  tribes  are  counted  by  the 
hundred. 

One  of  the  most  influential  personages  of  the  neighbouring 
race  of  the  Lao  was  a  woman,  already  advanced  in  years,  of 
the  name  of  Shol.  She  played  an  important  part  as  a  sort 
of  chief  in  the  Meshera,  her  riches,  according  to  the  old 
patriarchal  fashion,  consisting  of  cattle.  As  wealthy  as 
cattle  could  make  her,  she  would  long  since  have  been  a 
prey  to  the  Nubians,  who  carry  on  their  ravages  principally 
in  those  regions,  if  it  had  not  chanced  that  the  intruders 
needed  her  for  a  friend.  They  required  a  convenient  and 
secure  landing-place,  and  the  paramount  necessity  of  having 
this  induced  them  to  consider  plunder  as  a  secondary  matter. 
They  provided  in  this  way,  that  single  boats,  even  after  all 
others  had  taken  their  departure,  could  safely  remain  in  the 
Meshera  throughout  the  rainy  season  without  incurring  any 
risk  from  the  natives.  The  boatmen  accordingly  respect  the 
bank  of  the  river  which  is  the  resort  of  Shol's  herds  ;  whilst 
Shol,  on  her  part,  uses  all  her  influence  to  retain  her  tribe  on 


132  THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 

friendly  terms  with  the  strangers.  The  smallest  conflict  might 
involve  the  entire  loss  of  her  property. 

The  old  Shol  did  not  delay,  but  the  very  first  day  came  to 
my  boat  to  visit  me.  On  account  of  the  colour  of  my  skin, 
the  Nubians  had  told  her  that  I  was  a  brother  of  the  Sig- 
nora  (Miss  Tinne).  My  pen  fails  in  any  attempt  to  depict 
her  repulsiveness.  Her  naked  negro  skin  was  leathery, 
coarse,  and  wrinkled  ;  her  figure  was  tottering  and  knocked- 
kneed ;  she  was  utterly  toothless ;  her  meagre  hair  hung  in 
greasy  locks  ;  round  her  loins  she  had  a  greasy  slip  of  sheep- 
skin, the  border  of  which  was  tricked  out  with  white  beads 
and  iron  rings;  on  her  wrists  and  ankles  she  had  almost  an 
arsenal  of  metal,  links  of  iron,  brass,  and  copper,  strong 
enough  to  detain  a  prisoner  in  his  cell ;  about  her  neck  were 
hanging  chains  of  iron,  strips  of  leather,  strings  of  wooden  balls, 
and  heaven  knows  what  lumber  more.    Such  was  old  Shol. 

A  soldier,  who  had  formerly  been  a  Dinka  slave,  acted  as 
interpreter.  For  the  purpose  of  impressing  me  with  a  due 
sense  of  the  honour  of  the  visit  and  in  the  hope  of  getting 
a  present,  he  began  to  extol  Shol  and  to  enlarge  upon  the 
multitude  of  her  cattle.  All  the  sheep-farms,  of  which  the 
smoke  rose  so  hospitably  to  the  stranger,  were  hers;  hers 
were  all  the  bullock  runs  along  the  river  banks;  the  murahs 
which  extended  in  every  direction  of  the  compass  without 
exception,  were  hers ;  she  had  at  least  30,000  head  of  cattle ; 
in  addition  to  which  I  could  form  no  conception  of  the  iron 
and  copper  rings  and  chains  which  filled  her  stores. 

After  this  introduction  the  conversation  turned  upon  Miss 
Tinne,  who  remained  fresh  upon  the  memory  of  all.  Her 
liberality  m  making  presents  of  beads  had  secured  her  a 
fame  like  Schiller's  "  Madchen  aus  der  Fremde,"  the  spring, 
who  brought  a  gift  for  every  one.  The  old  Shol  could  not 
refrain  from  expressing  her  surprise  that  Miss  Tinne  should 
be  unmarried;  as  an  African  she  could  not  comprehend 
how  a  lady  that  was  rich  could  be  without  a  husband. 


THE  OLD  SHOL. 


Very  strange  were  the  domestic  and  family  relationships 
of  Shol  when  considered  in  contrast  with  her  public  position, 
her  present  influence,  and  her  excessive  wealth.  After  the 
death  of  her  first  husband  she  had  become  the  wife  of  his 
son  by  a  previous  marriage.  She  had  thus,  raised  this  man, 
who  was  younger  than  herself,  to  the  rank  of  prince  consort. 
His  name  was  Kurdyook.    I  had  a  visit  from  liim  gn  the 


The  old  Shol. 


following  day.  From  his  intercourse  with  the  traders  he 
could  speak  Arabic  intelligibly.  Like  the  rest,  he  was  loud 
in  his  praises  of  Miss  Tinne,  and  in  her  honour  he  had  called 
the  child  of  one  of  his  concubines  the  Signora.'*  Plainly 
there  was  a  longing  after  the  culture  of  European  refinement, 
and  let  us  hope  that  it  will  not  stop  at  the  name. 

Of  course,  in  comparison  with  his  wife,  he  was  quite  destitute 
of  lands ;  he  was  a  mere  cypher  as  far  as  any  influence  on 


134 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  tribe  was  cou  earned,  but  yet  he  exercised  a  terror  over 
Shol,  which,  unrler  the  circumstances,  was  quite  incredible. 
He  was  accustomed  to  chastise  this  dame,  who  was  at  once 
his  stepmother  and  his  spouse,  and  to  act  towards  her  in  the 
most  brutal  manner,  although  she  was  herself  in  the  habit, 
perchance  as  a  token  of  her  dignity,  of  carrying  in  her  hand 
several  knotted  thongs  like  a  cat-o'-nine-tails. 

With  rambles  in  the  neighbourhood  and  in  receiving  a 
succession  of  visitors,  I  found  the  days  pass  pleasantly  away. 
On  the  mainland  towards  the  north  there  were  several  more 
important  villages,  composed  of  permanent  dwellings  and 
fixed  enclosures  for  oxen.  To  these  I  constantly  resorted, 
and  the  concour.^e  of  so  many  men  coming  out  of  curiosity  to 
look  at  me,  entertained  me  very  much.  Failure  alike  both  of 
water  and  food  during  the  dry  season  had  driven  old  Shol 
herself  to  one  of  the  islands  adjacent  to  the  landing-place ; 
here  in  some  wretched  huts  not  far  from  our  boats  she  had 
taken  up  her  residence  in  the  midst  of  a  quantity  of  her 
cattle.  I  occasionally  paid  her  a  visit,  for  the  purpose  of 
penetrating  to  the  mysteries  of  her  dairy. 

On  the  26th  of  February  the  old  queen  came  to  the  tent 
which  I  occupied  on  the  island,  having  been  informed  that 
the  presents  designed  for  her  majesty  there  awaited  her.  On 
this  occasion  she  had  a  costume  somewhat  different.  She 
had  made  a  fresh  selection  of  her  paraphernalia  from  her 
iron  rings  and  chains,  and  so  arrayed  herself  anew.  I  had 
prepared  everything  for  a  stately  reception,  as  I  was  anxious 
to  leave  behind  me  an  impression  as  favourable  as  Miss  Tinne. 
There  were  beads  as  large  as  eggs,  such  as  never  before  were 
seen  in  this  country ;  there  were  marbles  of  green  and  blue 
from  the  Oriental  plains :  she  was  told  they  were  for  her. 
Next  there  were  chains  of  steel ;  these,  too,  were  hers :  then 
that  majestic  chair  of  plaited  straw;  she  could  scarcely  believe 
that  she  was  to  have  it  for  her  throne.  But  the  crowning 
charm  of  all  was  an  immense  bronze  medal,  with  a  chain  of 


INTERCHANGE  OP  PRESENTS. 


135 


plated  gold,  which  she  could  hang  about  her  neck ;  it  was 
in  fact,  a  commemoration  of  a  German  professor's  jubilee, 
with  the  Emperor's  likeness  upon  it ;  but  no  one  can  con- 
ceive the  admiration  it  excited.  She  was  really  touched, 
and  the  sailors  and  soldiers  seemed  to  like  the  medal  as 
much  as  she  did.  The  gifts  which  were  made  to  me  in  return 
consisted  of  a  calabash  full  of  butter,  a  goat,  a  sheep,  and  a 
splendid  bull  of  a  peculiar  breed,  without  horns. 

The  most  remarkable  plant  amongst  the  islands  of  the 
Meshera  is  a  climbing  passion-flower — the  Adenia  venenata^ 
the  bright  green  leaves  of  which  are  applied  by  the  natives 
of  Central  Africa  for  the  purpose  of  drawing  blisters.  These 
leaves  have,  however,  a  poisonous  property,  which  has  proved 
fatal  to  camels.  Camels  have  but  a  feeble  faculty  of  smell- 
ing, and  eat  freely  of  whatever  looks  green,  so  that  all 
attempts  to  acclimatise  them  here  have  been  without  success. 
It  is  the  same  plant  which  deprived  Sir  Samuel  Baker  of  his 
pack-ass  in  Latuka.  The  most  noticeable  thing  about  the 
plant  is  the  large  development  of  its  stem,  which  grows  half 
under  the  soil,  and  projects  with  a  strange  protuberance 
some  cubic  feet  in  content.  At  the  end  of  this  the  stem 
breaks  out  into  a  number  of  long  climbing  stalks,  which 
mount  upwards  to  a  considerable  height.  One  examplaof 
these  stems  I  packed  in  linen  and  sent  to  Berlin,  where,  after 
a  period  of  ten  months,  it  was  foimd  to  retain  its  vitality, 
and  in  a  palm-house  soon  developed  a  number  of  young 
shoots. 

The  waters  I'urnished  a  variety  of  fishes ;  amongst  these 
few  were  more  frequently  seen  than  a  sort  of  harness  fish 
(Folyjpterus  hichir),  of  which  a  representation  will  be  given 
in  a  later  chapter.  But  the  creature  which  most  particularly 
arrested  my  attention  was  the  salamander-like  fish  of  Gambia 
[Le^idosiren),  which,  with  its  four  slim  feet  projecting  from 
its  fish-like  form,  had  a  mouth  like  that  of  a  shark.  I  saw 
specimens  between  three  and  four  feet  long.    Its  flabby 


136 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


slimy  flesh  is  disgusting  to  the  Nubians,  although  Sir  Samuel 
Baker,  who  found  the  same  species  in  the  Albert  Nyanza, 
could  not  sufficiently  praise  its  flavour.  The  whole  family 
of  the  Siluridse  is  here  represented  as  much  as  in  other 
sections  of  the  Nile.  Many  of  them  share  with  the  fish-sala- 
mander the  practice  of  burying  themselves  in  the  bank,  that 
they  may  await  in  the  dry  the  rising  of  the  stream ;  in  the 
same  way  as  an  eel  they  can  wriggle  themselves  through 
the  soil,  and  even  make  a  way  over  the  dry  ground. 

Considering  the  circumscribed  limits  of  land,  the  feathered 
race  were  found  in  great  variety.  I  saw  at  least  sixty  kinds 
of  birds  upon  the  four  or  five  islands  which  were  nearest  us. 
Conspicuous  above  all  was  the  graceful  rail  (Parra  africana), 
with  its  spreading  claws  and  wiry  legs  stalking  pi-oudly,  as  if 
on  land,  upon  a  carpet  of  water-lily  leaves.  And  not  unheard 
were  the  familiar  notes  of  our  own  home  birds.  Sparrows 
innumerable  thronged  about  the  papyrus  plants,  on  which 
they  settled  for  their  evening  roost.  All  this,  however,  is 
but  the  old  story  of  ornithological  travellers  who  have  been 
before  me,  and  hardly  needs  to  be  repeated  here. 


af  the 


CHAPTEE  lY. 

start  for  the  interior.  Flags  of  the  Khartoomers.  Comfortable  travelling 
with  bearers.  The  African  elephant.  Parting  from  Shol  and  Kurdyook. 
Disgusting  wells  in  the  district  of  the  Lao.  Wide  sandflals.  Village  of 
Take.  Fatal  accident.  Arabian  protocol.  Halt  in  the  village  of  Kudy. 
Description  of  the  Dinka.  Peculiarities  of  the  race.  Dyeing  of  the  hair. 
Nudity.  "  The  Turkish  lady."  Iron  age.  Weapons  of  the  Dinka. 
"People  of  the  stick."  Weapons  of  defence.  Domestic  cleanliness. 
Cuisine.  Entertainment  of  the  ladies.  Snakes.  Tobacco-smoking.  Con- 
struction of  the  huts.  Dinka  sheep,  goats,  and  dogs.  Reverence  for 
cattle.  Degeneration  of  cows.  Intestinal  worms.  Deficiency  of  milk. 
Large  murahs.  Capabilities  of  the  Dinka.  Warlike  spirit.  Treatment  of 
enemies.  Instance  of  parental  affection.  Forest  district  of  the  Al-Waj 
Arrival  at  Ghattas's  chief  Seriba. 

It  was  not  until  the  eighteenth  day  of  our  sojourn  in  the 
Meshera  that  Ghattas's  second  boat  arrived,  conveying 
the  remainder  of  the  newly-enlisted  mercenaries  and  a  year's 
provisions  for  the  Seriba.  The  agent  on  board  was  commis- 
sioned to  procure  for  me  from  the  interior  whatever  porters 
were  requisite  for  my  progress.  The  shortest  possible  time 
that  must  elapse  before  he  could  get  to  the  Seriba  and  back 
was  eleven  days ;  punctually  at  the  end  of  that  period  he 
returned,  and  placed  at  my  disposal  seventy  bearers.  Thus 
fortunately  I  had  time  enough  and  to  spare  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  rainy  season  to  start  for  the  interior. 

By  the  25th  of  March  all  arrangements  for  setting  out 
were  complete,  and  we  were  ready  to  turn  our  backs  upon  the 
damp  air  of  the  swamps  with  its  nightly  plague  of  flies. 

Several  smaller  companies  having  joined  Ghattas's  expedi- 
tion, the  number  of  our  caravan  was  a  little  under  five 
hundred.   Of  these  the  armed  men  alone  amounted  to  nearly 


138 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


two  hundred ;  marching  in  single  file  they  formed  a  long 
column,  and  constituted  a  force  with  which  we  might  have 
crossed  the  largest  State  of  Central  Africa  unmolested.  Our 
course  for  six  days  would  be  through  a  notoriously  hostile 
country,  so  that  this  protection  was  quite  necessary ;  but  the 
caravan,  extending  fully  half  a  mile,  was  of  a  magnitude  to 
require  great  order  and  circumspection.  Each  division  had 
its  banner,  and  to  each  was  appointed  its  proper  place  in  the 
procession.  The  different  companies  of  the  Khartoom  mer- 
chants were  distinguished  by  the  colour  of  their  banners,  all 
emblazoned  by  the  star  and  crescent  of  Islam.  Instead  of 
this,  Ghattas,  as  a  Christian,  had  a  white  flag,  on  which  were 
worked  the  crescent  and  a  St.  Andrew's  cross.  This  com- 
promise between  the  crescent  and  the  true  cross  did  not, 
however,  exclude  certain  passages  from  the  Koran,  relating 
to  the  conquest  of  unbelievers,  and  which  could  not  be  per- 
mitted to  be  wanting  on  any  Khartoom  banner.  The  hand- 
some flag  of  my  own  boat  was  lying  wrapped  away  in  a  box. 
I  confess  I  had  no  desire  to  make  a  display  of  it  among 
savages,  and  in  a  region  where  its  meaning  could  not  be 
comprehended;  but  even  if  I  had  wished  to  exhibit  it,  I 
subsequently  discovered  that  any  attempt  to  do  so  would 
have  been  quite  a  failure.  No  Nubians  would  on  any  account 
have  followed  a  flag  which  did  not  bear  the  crescent  and  the 
passages  from  the  Koran.  The  boats  on  the  Nile,  it  is  true, 
when  they  carry  or  belong  to  Europeans,  do  not  despise  the 
European  colours ;  but  in  the  heart  of  the  negro  country, 
where  no  Egyptian  authority  exists,  it  is  different,  and  con- 
sequently all  European  flags  are  worthless.  The  banner  of 
Islam  is  to  them  a  talisman,  and  they  would  consider  it  as 
sacrilege  to  replace  it  by  the  banner  of  any  Christian  country. 
Even  the  trading  expeditions  conducted  by  European  mer- 
chants from  Khartoom  have  conformed  to  this  rule,  and  J 
have  myself  witnessed  the  flag  waving  on  the  Rohl  Eiver  at 
the  last  settlement  maintained  by  the  brothers  Poncet. 


TRANSPORT  OF  BAGGAGE. 


139 


To  a  naturalist  on  his  travels,  the  employment  of  men  as 
a  means  of  transport  appears  the  perfection  of  convenience. 
Apart  from  the  despatch  and  order  in  starting,  and  the  regu- 
lar continuous  progress,  he  enjoys  the  incalculable  advantage 
of  being  able  to  reach  his  baggage  at  any  moment,  and  to 
open  and  close  again  without  loss  of  time  any  particular 
package.  Any  one  who  has  ever  experienced  the  parti- 
cular annoyances  of  camel-transport  will  be  quite  aware  of 
the  comparative  comfort  of  this  mode  of  proceeding.  A  few- 
asses  accompanied  the  caravan,  and  the  governor  of  Ghat- 
tas's  Seriba  had  been  courteous  enough  to  send  me  his  own 
saddle-ass,  but  I  preferred  to  trust  myself  to  my  own  legs. 
Eiding  a  badly-saddled  donkey  is  always  infinitely  more 
fatiguing  to  me  than  any  exertion  which  may  be  requisite 
to  keep  up  with  the  forced  marches  of  the  light-footed 
Nubians ;  besides,  I  had  other  objects  in  view  than  mere 
progress :  I  wished  to  observe  and  take  notes  of  anything 
that  came  in  my  way,  and  to  collect  plants  and  whatever 
else  might  be  of  interest.  Thus  entirely  on  foot  I  began  the 
wanderings  which  for  two  years  and  three  months  I  pursued 
over  a  distance  of  more  than  2000  miles.  Neither  camels 
nor  asses,  mules  nor  horses,  teams  of  oxen  nor  palanquin- 
bearers  contributed  their  aid.  The  only  animal  available, 
by  the  help  of  which  Central  Africa  could  be  opened  to  civi- 
lisation, is  exterminated  by  fire  and  sword ;  the  elephant  is 
destroyed  mainly  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  for  civilised 
nations  an  article  wherewith  to  manufacture  toys  and  orna- 
ments, and  Europeans  still  persevere  in  setting  the  savages 
a  pernicious  example  in  this  respect. 

There  is  sufficient  evidence  to  show  that  the  African  ele- 
phant, which  at  the  present  time  appears  to  surpass  the 
Indian  species  as  much  in  wild  ferocity  as  in  size,  was  for- 
merly tamed  and  trained  in  the  same  way  as  the  elephant  in 
India.  Medals  have  come  down  to  us  which  portray  the 
considerable  differences  between  the  two  species.   They  show 


140 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


the  immense  size  of  the  ear  of  the  African  elephant,  and 
prove  beyond  a  doubt  that  it  was  once  employed  as  a  domes- 
tic animal.  The  state  of  torpor  to  which,  since  the  fall  of 
the  Eoman  Empire,  all  the  nations  of  the  northern  part  of 
Africa  have  been  reduced,  is  sufficient  explanation  why  the 
worth  of  this  animal  should  have  been  suffered  to  fall  into 
oblivion.  The  elephant  takes  as  long  as  a  man  to  grow  to 
maturity,  and  it  could  hardly  be  expected  of  the  Arabs  that 
they  should  undertake  the  tedious  task  of  its  training ;  and 
certainly  it  coftld  not  be  expected  of  Turks,  who  have  hardly 
patience  to  wait  for  the  fruits  of  one  year's  growth,  and  who 
would  like  the  world  to  have  been  made  so  that  they  could 
pick  up  their  guineas  already  coined  on  the  mountains.  It 
would  be  no  unfortunate  event  for  Africa  if  some  of  the 
European  philanthropists,  who  now  squander  their  homoe- 
pathic  charities  on  the  welfare  of  the  negroes,  were  to  turn 
their  sympathy  a  little  to  the  pitiable  lot  which  has  befallen 
the  elephant.  The  testimony  of  Burton  in  his  *  Nile  Basin  ' 
.is,  that  not  only  might  elephants  be  made  useful  to  man,  but 
that  they  appear  to  possess  an  instinct  which  is  quite  a  match 
for  the  reason  not  only  of  the  natives  of  Africa,  but  of  some 
other  of  the  bipeds  who  visit  its  inhospitable  shores. 

Extremely  toilsome,  I  must  own,  were  the  first  few  hours 
of  the  march.  After  being  for  months  limited  to  the  boat's 
deck  and  to  short  excursions  from  my  little  island,  I  now 
found  myself  forced  to  keep  up  with  the  sharp  pace  of  the 
negroes,  which  would  be  a  matter  of  difficulty  to  any  one  but 
a  member  of  the  Alpine  Club.  Towards  evening,  after  a  two 
hours'  march,  we  made  our  first  halt  in  Shol's  village.  Near 
the  huts  some  giant  Kigeliae,  in  full  flower,  displayed  their 
purple  tulip-like  blossoms ;  they  still  stand  as  landmarks  on 
the  spot,  although  the  old  Shol  has  gone  to  her  rest  and  the 
last  fragments  of  her  burnt  huts  have  vanished.  This  Kige- 
lia  is  common  throughout  Africa,  and  is  distinguished  for  its 
remarkable  fruit,  two  feet  long,  which  hangs  from  the  boughs 


ACEOSS  THE  DINKA  LAND. 


141 


like  a  string  of  sausages.  The  leaf  is  somewhat  similar  to 
our  walnut,  and  in  its  tout  ensemble  the  tree  may  bear  com- 
parison with  a  majestic  oak.  Trees  of  such  marked  peculia- 
rity cannot  do  otherwise  than  make  an  impression  on  the 
memory  of  every  traveller  in  equatorial  Africa. 

Shol  had  come  expressly  from  her  island  to  take  leave  of 
us,  and  to  offer  her  hospitality  to  the  caravan.  Our  course 
now  lay  in  a  tolerably  straight  S.S.W.  direction  across  the 
western  district  of  the  extensive  territory  of  the  unsubdued 
Dinka.  We  rested  occasionally  in  the  deserted  villages  and 
amidst  the  empty  cattle-pens  belonging  to  the  natives,  who 
made  their  escape  as  we  advanced.  By  their  continual  cattle- 
stealing,  the  Nubians  have  caused  all  the  Dinka  tribes  to 
consider  foreign  interlopers  as  their  bitter  enemies ;  the  inter- 
course, therefore,  with  the  settlements  in  the  Bongo  and 
Dyoor  countries,  which  are  separated  from  the  river  by  the 
Dinka  district,  can  only  be  maintained  at  the  expense  of 
keeping  an  adequate  number  of  armed  men  to  protect  the 
porters.  Agriculture,  although  it  is  carried  on  to  a  certain 
extent,  is  quite  a  secondary  consideration.  The  Dinka  often 
possess  large  quantities  of  sheep  and  goats,  but  principally 
they  are  breeders  of  cattle.  The  number  of  cattle  in  the 
country  is  astounding,  and  seems  as  if  it  must  be  inexhausti- 
ble, even  when  it  is  remembered  that  thousands  are  stolen 
annually  by  the  Nubians.  There  are  tracts  of  grazing  ground 
which  take  a  whole  day  to  cross ;  murahs  are  scattered 
throughout  the  land  like  villages  in  Germany,  and  many  of 
them  would  contain  10,000  beasts,  unless  I  err  in  my  com- 
putation, which  is  made  by  reckoning  the  pegs  to  which  the 
animals  are  tethered. 

Before  I  parted  from  my  old  friend  Shol  I  had  to  make 
one  more  offering  of  gratitude  for  the  hospitality  I  had  en- 
joyed ;  this  consisted  of  an  amulet  which  I  had  to  compose 
at  Kurdyook's  request.  I  wrote  him  as  a  testimonial  a 
recommendation  to  any  future  visitor  to  the  country.  The 


142 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


Nubians  and  true  Arabs,  in  a  way  that  is  not  seen  in  Egypt, 
often  wear  round  their  neck  and  arms  a  number  of  orna- 
mental leather  sheaths,  which  contain  passages  from  the 
Koran  ;  on  being  asked  what  is  inside  they  reply,  "  It  is  the 
name  of  God."  Such  amulets  are  even  bound  round  the  necks 
of  horses  and  valuable  asses.  It  would  never  occur  to  a 
Nubian  to  ask  a  Frank  for  an  amulet ;  they  have  their  Faki, 
who  make  a  harvest  of  the  business.  But  Kurdyook  was  no 
Mohammedan  ;  he  was  a  pure,  uncontaminated  heathen,  and 
Mohammedan  prejudice  had  no  part  in  his  superstition ;  in 
his  eyes  the  white  man  was  a  being  of  a  higher  order,  and 
was  accordingly  in  a  position  to  exercise  greater  authority 
over  the  invisible  powers  of  fate  than  the  swarthy  priest  of 
Islam. 

We  now  passed  on  through  a  country  covered  by  farm- 
steads, repeatedly  crossing  fields  of  sorghum-stubble.  The 
stalks,  fifteen  feet  in  length,  which  lay  everywhere  scat- 
tered on  the  ground,  were  a  great  impediment  to  our 
progress.  The  corn  here  cultivated  is  the  largest  form  of  the 
species  ;  it  takes  nine  months  to  ripen,  and  the  stem  in  con- 
sequence becomes  so  hard  and  woody  that  it  is  no  more  like 
our  European  straw  than  their  stubble-fields  are  like  ours. 
At  other  places  at  this  season  the  nature  of  the  ground 
generally  offered  no  hindrance,  the  clayey  swamps  being  dry 
and  hard  as  stone ;  the  high  grass  of  the  steppe  trodden  down 
by  men  and  cattle,  the  woods  everywhere  thin  as  in  Southern 
Nubia,  and  consisting  of  isolated  thickets  or  scattered  trees 
of  no  great  size. 

For  the  purpose  of  geographical  investigation  a  journey  in 
the  rainy  season  would  be  more  advantageous,  because  it  is 
only  then  that  the  actual  limit  and  importance  of  the  periodi- 
cal currents  are  to  be  estimated.  The  term  ^periodical,  how- 
ever, so  frequently  used  in  connexion  with  the  hydrographi- 
cal  conditions  of  Africa,  perhaps  hardly  gives  a  correct  im- 
pression, since  the  brooks  and  streams  which  more  or  less  are 


HALT  AT  LAO. 


143 


dried  up  after  the  rainy  seasons  are  over,  still  exercise  their 
influence  on  the  conformation  of  the  land,  just  as  truly,  if 
not  so  obviously,  as  our  perpetual  rivers,  which  are  per- 
manently limited 'to  their  proper  channels.  Many  of  the 
rivulets  in  this  extensive  level  have  no  apparent  bed  ;  for  in 
proportion  as  the  water  decreases,  the  bed  by  degrees  re- 
sumes its  aspect  of  being  covered  with  grass ;  the  turf  rapidly 
grows  afresh  as  the  water  recedes,  and,  independently  of  this, 
much  of  it  is  able  to  endure  a  flood  of  several  months  with- 
out rotting  or  dying  away.  This  is  a  circumstance  which 
quite  easily  explains  the  misconceptions  to  which  various 
travellers  in  the  dry  season  have  been  liable,  who  have  gone 
along  without  recognising  any  river-beds  at  all.  It  is  not  in 
any  way  surprising  that  they  have  crossed  the  beds  of  even 
considerable  streams  without  perceiving  in  them  any  thing- 
different  to  ordinary  undulations  of  the  ground,  for  there  is 
nothing  to  arrest  the  attention  but  the  same  uniform  growth 
of  grass,  the  same  dry  stubble,  the  same  scorched,  trampled 
stalks.  Ten  miles  from  the  Meshera  we  reached  the  first 
watering-place  in  the  centre  of  the  Lao  district,  an  open 
cultivated  plain,  several  miles  in  extent,  diversified  with 
numerous  farms  and  hamlets.  Two  fine  sycamores  seemed 
to  beckon  from  afar  and  invite  us  to  the  spot. 

The  water  had  to  be  drawn  from  a  depth  of  fifteen  feet, 
from  wells  which  contained  nothing  better  than  a  stinking, 
impure  pulp.  These  wells  are  the  residue  of  great  pools 
formed  in  the  rainy  season,  and  subsequently  developing  a 
wonderful  abundance  of  animal  life,  although  they  produce 
nothing  in  any  way  adapted  for  culinary  purposes.  Large 
water-scorpions  (Belostoma),  beetles,  and  other  creeping 
things  that  are  ever  at  home  in  stinking  pools,  whirl  about  in 
these  muddy  depths.  Here  it  is,  apparently,  that  the  Dinka 
cows  and  sheep  renew  annually  their  progeny  of  intestinal 
worms  [Amfhistoma)  and  cercarise,  of  which  the  filthy  beds 
are  most  prolific.    Such  was  the  drinking-water  of  Lao. 


144 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


The  natives  had  imagined  that  we  should  pass  the  night 
at  the  well;  anxious,  however,  to  take  advantage  of  the 
coolness  of  the  air,  we  resolved,  by  a  forced  night-march, 
to  get  quickly  over  the  district,  void  of  water,  that  lay 
before  us.  Marching  on  through  the  adjacent  farms  we 
noticed  old  and  young  hurrying  off  into  the  adjacent 
thickets,  our  arrival  being  unexpected.  Many  a  smoking 
porridge-pot  had  been  forsaken,  and  now  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  greedy  bearers,  making  them  still  more  desirous  of 
tarrying  here  for  the  night;  but  the  orders  were  peremp- 
tory which  had  been  given  to  our  people  to  push  forward 
without  delay/ 

To  the  south  the  ground  stretched  uniformly  for  ten  miles 
in  sandy  plains  bare  of  grass,  pleasantly  broken  at  intervals 
by  bushy  shrubs  and  single  trees.  Onwards  we.  went  for 
five  hours  of  the  night  over  moonlit  sands,  the  imagination 
giving  a  weird  aspect  to  all  around.  -The  region  strongly 
reminded  me  of  the  acacia- woods  of  Taka  and  Gedaref  in 
South  Nubia,  which  are  seen  in  crossing  the  forests  at  the 
foot  of  the  Abyssinian  highlands.  The  character  of  the 
vegetation  approximates  to  that  of  Kordofan.  The  com- 
monest trees  are  the  Seyal-acacia,  hegelig,  tamarind,  Christ's 
thorn,  capparis,  and  that  remarkable  thorn,  the  randia,  the 
branches  of  which  serve  as  models  for  the  pointed  lances 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Central  Africa  employ.  One  of 
the  trees  of  Southern  Kordofan  finds  here  its  southern  limit : 
this  is  the  Albizzia  sericocephala,  a  tree  of  moderate  size, 
of  which  the  finely-articulated,  mimosa-like  leaf  consists 
of  from  5000  to  6000  particles;  the  thick  clusters  of 
blossom  gleamed  out  from  the  obscurity  like  snow,  and 
the  air  was  laden  with  their  balmy  fragrance.  Thus  we 
wandered  on  as  through  a  cultivated  garden,  our  path  as 
smooth  as  if  we  were  on  gravelled  walks.  Beaching  at 
length  a  considerable  village,  we  encamped  on  the  deserted 
,  site  of  a  large  cattle-park.    A  sudden  storm  of  rain  put 


VILLAGE  OF  TAKE. 


145 


the  caravan  into  a  commotion,  and  forced  me  to  retire 
with  my  bedding  into  one  of  the  wretched  huts,  which  are 
not  really  dwellings,  but  are  used  for  the  nightly  sheltei 
of  the  cow-herds.  Imbedded  a  foot  deep  in  fine  white 
ashes,  and  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  dust,  I  passed  the 
remainder  of  the  night,  alternate  coughing  and  sneezing 
making  all  sleep  simply  impossible. 

On  the  following  day  we  had  to  march  for  five  hours 
without  a  draught  of  water,  until  a  hospitable  asylum  was 
opened  to  us  in  a  village  of  Take.  We  were  now  in  the 
district  of  the  Eek,  a  locality  which  formerly  made  a  hitch 
in  the  traffic  with  the  natives,  before  Petherick  broke  a  way 
to  the  south  through  the  Dyoor  and  Bongo,  and  opened  a 
trade  with  the  Niam-niam. 

This  Take  was  an  old  friend  and  ally  of  the  Khartoomers, 
and  had  attired  himself  in  honour  of  the  occasion  in  a 
figured  calico  shirt,  without  regard  to  the  prejudices  of  his 
countrymen,  who  despise  all  clothing  as  effeminate.  Near  this 
village  in  1858  there  existed  a  temporary  establishment  from 
in  which  the  brothers  Poncet  started  on  their  elephant  hunts 
the  Dinka  territory.  They  called  the  place  Mirakok,  but 
Mirakok  and  its  elephants  are  now  alike  unknown  in  this 
land  of  the  past,  where  (transient  as  a  shower  or  a  tide)  all 
the  lives  and  deeds  of  men  have  been  long  forgotten.  It  has 
been  a  land  without  chalk  or  stone,  so  that  no  permanent 
buildings  could  be  constructed;  it  has  consequently  only 
reared  a  people  which  have  been  without  chiefs,  without 
traditions,  without  history.  Detached  fan-palms  (Borassiis), 
100  feet  high,  in  default  of  anything  more  lasting,  mark 
the  abode  of  Take,  a  shelter  which  was  destined  to  have  its 
sad  associations  for  the  travellers. 

Ghattas's  standard-bearer,  a  most  courageous  fellow  and 
the  best  shot  among  all  our  Nubians,  killed  himself  on  a 
hunting  excursion,  which  he  had  undertaken  with  me  and 
my  servant.    I  had  contented  myself  with  bagging  a  lot  oi 


146 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


remarkably  plump  wild  pigeons,  but  he  was  resolved  to  get 
at  some  guinea-fowl ;  for  tl^is  purpose  he  made  his  way  into 
a  tliicket,  where,  as  he  was  loading  his  piece,  it  accidentally 
went  off,  the  charge  entering  his  breast.  This  accident 
befell  the  one  who  was  supposed  to  be  incomparably  the 
most  skilful  of  our  party  in  handling  his  weapons,  and  it 
may  be  imagined  what  was  to  be  expected  of  the  rest. 
Blundering  accidents  and  wounds  were  of  perpetual  occur- 
rence, so  that  I  should  only  weary  the  reader  by  recounting 
them.  The  traveller  who  has  to  march  with  these  so-called 
soldiers  must  be  content  to  know  that  he  cauld  not  any- 
where more  thoroughly  be  exposed  to  the  danger  of  being 
killed  by  a  chance  shot ;  and  I  do  not  exaggerate  the  truth 
when  I  affirm  that  my  life  was  over  and  over  again  seriously 
threatened. 

The  unfortunate  Soliman,  who  was  thus  the  victim  of  his 
own  mischance,  was  the  man  who  had  saved  my  servant 
Mohammed  when  he  had  his  encounter  with  the  wild 
buffalo.  Half  the  camp  hastened  to  the  ill-fated  spot,  to 
be  enabled  to  testify  to  the  accidental  death  of  Soliman 
by  his  own  hand.  So  quietly  had  he  fallen  that  even  my 
servant  Osman,  who  was  near,  ascertained  quite  casually  that 
he  was  dead ;  a  dark  mark,  caused  by  the  smoke  from  the 
powder,  at  the  orifice  of  the  gaping  wound,  showed  that  his 
gun  had  gone  off  while  he  was  holding  it.  Sobbing  and 
weeping,  his  friends  and  countrymen  stood  round  his  body, 
and  even  the  stony-hearted  cattle-stealers  seemed  as  if,  after 
all,  they  were  not  utterly  devoid*  of  all  human  emotion. 
One  of  them  was  touched  with  a  strange  remorse,  the  reason 
of  which  I  afterwards  discovered.  It  appeared  that  Soliman 
owed  him  a  debt,  which  he  declared  he  had  paid;  on  the 
previous  day,  while  Soliman  had  been  emphatically  per- 
sisting that  the  debt  was  discharged,  his  accuser,  in  his 
rage,  cursed  him  with  the  heaviest  imprecation  he  could 
command:  "The  dogs  devour  thee!"    The  disaster,  there- 


LEGAL  AFFIDAVIT. 


147 


fore,  was  a  manifest  punishment  from  heaven;  the  man 
would  indeed  gladly  have  never  uttered  the  curse,  but  yet 
he  could  not  be  reconciled  with  the  dead.  On  the  very 
next  day,  as  we  were  about  to  start,  another  man  shattered 
the  upper  part  of  his  arm  by  carelessly  taking  his  gun  from 
a  bush  where  he  had  laid  it. 

We  left  the  unlucky  spot,  and  proceeded  two  miles  further 
to  the  village  of  Kudy,  also  an  old  friend  of  the  Turks, 
as  the  Khartoomers  are  everywhere  termed  by  the  natives. 
Here  we  made  another  halt,  in  order  to  pass  the  day  in 
slaughtering  some  cattle,  in  feasting  on  beef  and  goat's 
flesh,  and  in  laying  in  a  store  of  corn  for  our  large  party  of 
bearers. 

Here  also  a  kind  of  affidavit  or  protocol,  strictly  con- 
formable to  Mohammedan  rule,  was  taken  of  the  previous 
day's  accident,  in  order  to  be  able  to  produce  legal  evidence 
at  Khartoom,  where  the  deceased  Soliman  had  left  a  wife 
and  child.  The  chief  part  of  this  important  business  was 
performed  by  the  Faki,  who  accompanied  the  party  as 
private  slave-dealers,  enacting  at  the  same  time  their  legal 
character  as  scribes.  After  the  protocol  was  drawn  up,  it 
was  sealed,  according  to  Oriental  custom,  by  the  agents  who 
were  present.  This  was  not  done  without  great  prolixity 
and  circumstantial  debate.  The  formality  of  the  document 
was  curious ;  its  opening  words  were :  "  Osman  the  agent 
asks  Osman  the  servant  of  the  lord  Musyu  the  question: 
Where  is  Soliman?"  Osman  in  his  turn  had  to  give  an 
account  of  the  accident:  "As  we  were  hunting  in  the 
thicket,  I  heard  a  shot,"  and  so  on.  They  did  not  expect 
to  be  cross-examined;  they  did  not  look  for  even  such 
mild  reproach  as  the  king  gave  Hamlet  when  he  inquired, 
Where's  Polonius?"  but  they  considered  it  quite  as  well  to 
keep  up  the  old-established  form. 

With  Kudy  I  found  a  good  opportunity  of  prosecuting  my 
study  of  the  Dinka,  which  I  had  already  taken  up  m  earnest 


148 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


during  my  stay  in  the  Meshera.  My  relations  with  this 
strange  pastoral  people  were,  throughout  the  two  years  which 
I  spent  in  the  interior,  but  rarely  discontinued.  Dinka  were 
my  cow-herds,  and  Dinka  provided  me  with  all  the  require- 
ments of  my  cuisine  as  long  as  I  stayed  in  Ghattas's  Seriba ; 
and  even  in  the  remotest  limits  of  my  wanderings  I  had 
dealings  with  them.  I  am  only  acquainted  with  the  western 
branch  of  this  people,  whose  territory  altogether  extends 
over  an  area  of  from  60,000  to  70,000  square  miles,  of  which 
the  length  is  close  upon  400  miles ;  my  knowledge,  however, 
is  accurate  enough  to  enable  me  from  my  own  observation 
to  add  much  that  is  new  to  the  descriptions  which  previous 
travellers  have  given  of  this  people. 

Although  individual  tribes  of  the  Dinka,  with  regard  to 
height  and  bodily  size,  stand  pre-eminent  in  the  scale  of  the 
human  race,  the  majority  of  this  western  branch  of  the 
nation  rarely  exceeds  a  middle  height.  Of  twenty-six 
representatives  that  were  measured,  the  average  height  was 
about  5  ft.  7  in.  According  to  this,  the  average  size  of  the 
Dinka  is  inferior  to  that  of  the  Kaffirs,  but  it  exceeds  that  of 
Englishmen. 

In  their  figure  they  are  like  the  swam^-men,  if  such  an 
expression  may  be  allowed,  presenting  the  same  lankiness  of 
limb  which  has  been  already  noticed  as  characteristic  of  the 
Shillooks  and  Nueir.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  appears 
shorter  than  among  the  less  swarthy  and  more  robust  races 
who  inhabit  the  rocky  hills  of  the  interior.  The  outline  of 
their  sinewy  frame  is  very  decidedly  marked  in  the  hori- 
zontal, angular  shoulders ;  a  long  neck,  slightly  contracted 
at  the  base,  corresponds  with  the  head,  which  also  gradually 
contracts  towards  the  top  and  back,  and  which  is  generally 
somewhat  flat  and  narrow.  Ordinarily  there  is  a  strongly 
developed  width  of  jaw.  Altogether  there  is  a  general  har- 
mony pervading  the  whole  figure,  and  the  scientific  student 
will  hardly  fail  to  recognise  the  evidence  that  nature  has 


NEGRO  PHYSIOGNOMY. 


149 


pursued  a  definite  end  in  the  development  which  here  exists. 
The  Dinka  must  be  reckoned  amongst  the  darkest  of  races, 
but  the  deep  black  of  their  complexion  gives  place  to  a 
manifest  tint  of  brown  when  the  ashes  are  washed  off  with 
which  they  delight  in  rubbing  themselves.  When  they  have 
smeared  themselves  with  oil,  or  taken  a  bath,  their  skin 
shines  like  dark  bronze.  The  dull  polish  of  chocolate  may 
be  taken  as  descriptive  of  the  brighter  hue  ;  this,  however, 
is  seldom  seen  even  when  the  ashes  are  cleared  away,  because 
the  removal  of  the  dead  scales  of  cuticle,  which  then  takes 
place,  is  followed  by  a  greyish  tint  which  spreads  over  the 
skin. 

The  blue  tinge  which  has  been  attributed  to  the  negro's 
skin  is  entirely  a  matter  of  imagination ;  it  may  be  confi- 
dently asserted  to  be  solely  the  reflection  of  the  sky.  This 
result  of  reflection  is  especially  to  be  observed  when  we 
chance  to  see  one  of  these  swarthy  fellows  standing  at  the 
aperture  of  his  gloomy  hut,  which  gets  no  light  but  what 
enters  by  the  door. 

Any  apparent  uniformity  of  physiognomy  is  all  an  illusion  : 
it  originates  more  in  the  inexperience  of  the  eye  than  in  any 
positive  resemblance  of  feature.    The  three  profiles  of  which 


Profiles  of  the  Dinka 


150 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


illustrations  are  given  show  a  marked  variety  in  form 
between  nose  and  nose.  Generally,  however,  according  to 
our  conventional  aesthetic  notions,  the  men  are  more  comely 
than  the  women  of  the  same  age.  Pleasant,  not  to  say 
ordinarily  human  features,  are  rare :  hideous  contortions, 
increased  by  the  grimaces  to  which  the  short  eyebrows 
contribute  by  reducing  the  shallow  foreheads  to  a  mere 
nothing,  give  the  majority  an  expression  scarcely  better 
than  a  baboon's.  Still  there  are  exceptions,  and  with  re- 
gard to  these  it  must  at  times  be  owned  that  they  present 
a  regularity  of  feature  with  which  no  fault  could  be  found. 

The  hair  of  the  Dinka  is  nearly  always  very  meagre ;  it  is 
generally  closely  shorn,  except  at  the  crown,  where  a  tuft  is 
left,  which  they  ornament  with  ostrich  feathers,  in  imitation 
of  a  heron.  The  helmet-shaped  combs  of  the  Shillooks  are 
never  seen,  but  tufts  of  woolly  locks  are  much  in  fashion. 
Occasionally,  but  not  often,  the  hair  is  plaited  in  fine  braids, 
which  run  in  parallel  lines  across  the  head.  The  women 
wear  their  hair  either  closely  shaven  or  as  short  as  possible. 

The  accompanying  portrait  represents  what  might  be 
styled  a  Dinka  dandy,  distinguished  for  unusually  long  hair. 
He  must  be  classed  as  belonging  to  that  finer-formed  race 
which  has  been  mentioned.  By  continual  combing  and 
stroking  with  hair-pins,  the  hair  of  the  negro  loses  much  of 
its  close  curliness.  Such  was  the  case  here :  the  hair,  six 
inches  long,  was  trained  up  into  points  like  tongues  of  flame, 
and  these,  standing  stiffly  up  all  round  his  head,  gave  the 
man  a  fiendish  look,  which  was  still  further  increased  by  its 
being  dyed  a  foxy  red. 

This  tint  is  the  result  of  continual  washing  with  cow-urine ; 
a  similar  effect  can  be  produced  by  the  application  for  a 
fortnight  of  a  mixture  of  dung  and  ashes.  The  beard  never 
attains  sufficient  growth  to  be  worth  their  attention.  Their 
razors  are  of  the  most  primitive  description,  consisting  simply 
of  carefully  ground  lance-tips. 


HAIR  AND  TEETH  OF  THE  DINKA.  151 

Both  sexes  break  off  the  lower  incisor  teeth,  a  custom 
which  they  practise  in  common  with  the  majority  of  the 
natives  of  the  district  of  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal.  The  object  of 
this  hideous  mutilation  is  hard  to  determine ;  its  effect  ap- 


A  Dinka  Dandy. 


pears  in  tlieir  inarticulate  language,  of  which  I  suppose  we 

could  not  imitate  the  sound,  unless  we  submitted  to  the  same 

ordeal.    Some  Africans  file  their  incisor  teeth  to  a  point ; 

others,  like  the  Batoka  of  the  Upper  Zambesi,  break  out 

those  of  the  upper  jaw.  The  former  of  these  practioes  appears 

comprehensible  as  increasing  their  capability  for  defence  in 

single  combat ;  and  the  latter  is  perhaps  an  imitation  of  their 

deified  ruminants  ;  but  the  reason  why  the  Diuka  should 

absolutely  disfigure  their  lower  jaw  is  quite  beyond  my 
Vol.  I.— 12 


152 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


comprehension.  The  African  races  have  commonly  beeu 
reported  as  distinguished  for  their  fine  rows  of  teeth,  and  it 
was  accordingly  a  matter  of  surprise  that  bad  teeth  were  so 
often  conspicuous.  The  aged  on  this  account  are  little  short 
of  disgusting,  for  the  upper  teeth,  from  the  deficiency  of 
opposition  from  the  lower,  project  far  from  the  mouth  and 
stick  out  like  a  finger-joint.  So  marked  is  this  peculiarity 
that  some  of  the  people  have  acquired  from  the  Nubians  the 
soubriquet  of  Abu-Senoon,  father  jut-tooth. 

Men  and  women  alike  pierce  their  ears  in  several  places, 
and  insert  iron  rings  or  little  bars  with  iron  tips.  The 
women  also  bore  the  upper  lip  and  fit  in  an  iron  pin,  run- 
ning through  a  bead,  a  custom  which  is  common  among  the 
Nueir.  Tattooing  is  only  practised  by  the  men,  and  always 
consists  of  about  ten  radiating  strokes,  which  traverse 
forehead  and  temples,  having  for  their  centre  the  glabella, 
or  base  of  the  nose  :  it  is  a  symbol  by  which  the  Dinka  are 
recognised  at  once. 

The  observation  of  Barth,  *  that  many  heathen  tribes  con- 
sider clothing  more  necessary  for  men  than  for  women  is 
not  applicable  to  the  Dinka  or  any  of  the  natives  of  the 
river  plains.  According  to  Dinka  notions  of  propriety,  it  is 
becoming  for  none  but  women  to  wear  any  covering ;  any 
attire,  even  of  the  most  moderate  description,  is  considered 
unworthy  of  the  men.  The  Nubians,  who  are  always  called 
Turks,  do  not  certainly  belong  to  the  most  carefully  clothed 
of  the  human  race,  yet  the  Dinka  always  term  them  women, 
a  designation  which  in  this  sense  is  quite  common.  I  always 
appeared  in  a  complete  suit  of  clothes,  and  my  apparel 
accordingly  gained  for  me  the  ironical  title  of  the  "  Turkish 
lady." 

On  the  other  hand  the  women  here  are  scrupulously 
clothed  with  two  aprons  of  untanned  skin,  which  reach  before 


*  Barth,  vol.  ii.  p.  475. 


DINKA  ORNAMENTS. 


153 


and  behind  from  the  hips  to  the  ankles,  and  are  trimmed 
round  the  edges  with  rows  of  beads,  small  iron  rings,  and 
little  bells.  At  that  time,  white  beads,  as  large  as  peas,  with 
blue  spots,  called  "  Genetot  ahdah  "  in  the  Khartoom  market, 
and  others  an  inch  in  diameter,  called  "Barrad"  or  hail- 
stones, which  were  principally  worn  by  the  men  as  necklaces, 
were  all  the  rage,  every  other  description  being  contemp- 
tuously rejected.  In  the  course  of  a  few  years  the  fashions 
in  beads  change,  and  the  store-houses  in  the  Seribas  of  the 
Khartoomers  get  overstocked  with  supplies  that  are  old- 
fashioned,  and  are  consequently,  worthless. 

The  Dinka  live  in  a  veritable  iron  age — that  is  to  say,  they 
live  in  an  age  in  which  iron  has  still  a  high  value ;  copper 
is  not  esteemed  of  corresponding  importance.  The  wives  of 
some  of  the  wealthy  are  often  laden  with  iron  to  such  a 
degree  that,  without  exaggeration,  I  may  affirm,  that  I  have 
seen  several  carrying  about  with  them  close  upon  half  a 
hundredweight  of  these  savage  ornaments.  The  heavy  rings 
with  which  the  women  load  their  wrists  and  ankles,  clank  and 
resound  like  the  fetters  of  slaves.  Free  from  any  other 
domination,  it  is  remarkable  of  this  people  how,  nevertheless, 
they  are  not  free  from  the  fetters  of  fashion.  The  favourite 
ornaments  of  the  men  are  massive  ivory  rings,  which  they 
wear  round  the  upper  part  of  the  arm  ;  the  rich  adorn  them- 
selves from  elbows  to  wrists  with  a  whole  series  of  rings, 
close  together  so  as  to  touch.  An  adornment  for  the  neck  of 
less  distinguished  character  is  formed  of  strings  of  plaited 
leather ;  the  bracelets  are  cut  out  of  hippopotamus  hide ; 
and  the  tails  of  cows  and  goats,  in  which  every  Dinka  exqui- 
site arrays  himself,  and  with  which  he  trims  his  weapons,  are 
in  common  use. 

Since  the  Dinka  cannot  do  much  with  his  miserable  crop  of 
hair,  he  turns  his  attention  to  caps  and  perukes  in  a  way  not 
unfrequent  among  Africans.  Whilst  I  was  with  Kudy  I  often 
saw  those  strange  specimens  of  head-gear  which,  in  the  shape 


154 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


of  a  Circassian  chain-helmet,  are  formed  exclusively  of  large 
white  bugle-beads,  which  in  Khartoom  are  called  muria." 
This  decoration  is  especially  common  amongst  the  Nueir* 
Another  kind  of  head-dress  is  composed  of  ostrich  feathers, 
and  forms  a  light  and  effectual  protection  from  the  sun. 

According  to  the  custom,  which  seems  to  belong  to  all 
Africa,  as  a  sign  of  grief  the  Dinka  wear  a  cord  round  the 
neck ;  but  amongst  other  natious  we  shall  have  occasion 
to  notice  several  additional  tokens  to  denote  the  loss  of 
a  member  of  a  family. 

Since  the  western  territories  of  the  Dinka  in  the  alluvial 
flats  nowhere  produce  any  iron,  their  modes  of  manipulation 
of  this  metal  are  not  so  highly  developed  as  among  some 
other  tribes  which  will  subsequently  come  under  our  ob- 
servation. Before  the  appearance  of  the  Khartoomers,  the 
Dyoor,  who  had  settled  within  the  limits  of  the  Bongo  and 
Dinka,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  soil  which  produced  iron-ore, 
had  performed  all  the  smith's  work  which  was  required  by 
the  Dinka.  At  that  time  these  Dyoor  seem  to  have  been 
brought  by  the  Dinka  to  a  similar  state  of  vassalage  as  that 
in  which  they  themselves  now  stand  to  the  Nubians.  The 
Bongo,  although  their  land  produces  iron,  were  far  too  hostile 
to  their  neighbours  to  furnish  them  with  a  supply  of  iron  in 
the  way  of  commerce.  The  Dinka  themselves,  being  ex- 
clusively occupied  with  their  cattle-breeding,  have  no  taste 
and  find  little  time  for  any  arduous  work  of  the  smithy ; 
hence  it  happens  that  although  their  iron  ornaments  are 
numerous,  the  workmanship  of  them  all  is  of  the  most 
primitive  character. 

The  most  important  weapon  of  the  Dinka  is  the  lance. 
Bows  and  arrows  are  unknown :  the  instruments  that  some 
travellers  have  mistaken  for  bows  are  only  weapons  of  defence 
for  parrying  the  blows  of  clubs.    But  really  their  favourite 

*  In  Wood's  'Natural, History  of  Man,'  p.  522,  there  is  an  accurate  illustra- 
tion of  these  ornaments. 


DINKA  WEAPONS. 


155 


weapons  are  clubs  and  sticks,  which  they  cat  out  of  the 
hard  wood  oS  the  Hegelig  (Balanites),  or  from  the  native 
ebony  (JDiospyrus  mespiliformis).  Tiiis  mode  of  defence  is 
ridiculed  by  other  nations,  and  the  Niam-niam,  with  whom 
the  Dinka  have  become  acquainted  by  accompanying  the 
Khartoomers  in  their  ivory  expeditions,  deride  them  as 
A-Tagbondo,"  or  stick-people. 

Similar  conditions  of  life  in  different  regions,  even  among 
dissimilar  races,  ever  produce  similar  habits  and  tendencies. 
This  is  manifest  in  the  numerous  customs  which  the  Dinka 
possess  in  common  with  the  far-off  Kaffirs.  They  have  the 
same  predilection  for  clubs  and  sticks,  and  use  a  shield  of 
the  same  long  oval  form,  cut  out  of  buffalo  hide,  and  which, 
in  order  to  insure  a  firmer  hold,  is  crossed  by  a  stick,  secured 
by  being  passed  through  slits  cut  in  the  thick  leather.  But 
the  instruments  for  parrying  club-blows  depicted  in  the 
accompanying  illustration  are  quite  peculiar  to  the  Dinka. 


Dinka  Instruments  for  parrying  club  blows. 


As  far  as  I  know,  no  previous  traveller  has  drawn  attention 
to  these  strange  contrivances  for  defence.  They  are  of  two 
kinds.  One  consists  of  a  neatly-carved  piece  of  wood,  rather 
more  than  a  yard  long,  with  a  hollow  in  the  centre  for  the 


156 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


protection  of  the  hand :  these  are  called  "  quayre."  The 
other,  which  has  been  mistaken  for  a  bow,  is  termed  "  dang," 
of  whicli  the  substantial  fibres  seem  pecufiarly  fitted  for 
breaking  the  violence  of  any  blow. 

Everywhere,  beyond  a  question,  domestic  cleanliness  and 
care  in  the  preparation  of  food  are  signs  of  a  higher  grade 
of  external  culture,  and  answer  to  a  certain  degree  of  intel- 
lectual superiority.  I  have  travelled  much  in  Europe,  where 
the  diversity  of  the  external  conditions  of  life  is  greater  than 
in  any  other  quarter  of  the  world ;  I  have  had  much  oppor- 
tunity of  observation,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  do  not  err  in  the 
conclusion  that  I  draw.  Not  the  size  of  the  houses,  nor  the 
dimensions  of  the  windows  (for  these  are  variously  influenced 
by  climate),  not  the  clothing  (for  Sards,  Dalmatians,  and 
Albanians,  incontestably  the  least  civilised  of  Europeans, 
are  the  most  magnificently  attired  of  all),  but  cleanliness 
and  choice  of  food  not  only  at  once  disclose  a  real  distinction 
between  nation  and  nation,  but  constitute  a  measure  of  the 
degrees  of  civilisation  in  individual  provinces  and  districts. 
Now  both  these  qualities,  I  aver,  are  found  among  the  Dinka 
to  a  greater  extent  than  elsewhere  in  Africa.  First,  as  to 
the  food. 

In  culinary  matters  the  Diuka  are  certainly  superior  to 
the  Nubians,  and  I  should  have  little  hesitation  in  pronounc- 
ing them  even  more  expert  than  either  the  Arabs  or  the 
Egyptians.  Their  farinaceous  and  milk  foods  are  in  no  way 
inferior  to  the  most  refined  products  of  an  European  cuisine. 
The  reaping,  threshing,  and  sifting  of  the  sorghum  and 
penicillaria  grain  (the  durra  and  dokhn  of  the  Arabs)  are 
brought  to  perfection  by  their  female  slaves,  who  sub- 
sequently granulate  the  meal  like  sago.  In  seasons  of 
scarcity  their  talent  for  cooking  has  led  them  to  the  dis- 
covery of  various  novelties  in  the  way  of  food.  Like  the 
tribes  of  Baghirmi,  the  Musgoo,  and  Adamawa,  they  make 
a  preparation,  very  much  in  the  Indian  fashion,  from  the 


DINKA  MEALS. 


157 


farinaceous  germs  of  the  Borassus  palm.  They  extract 
all  its  native  bitterness  by  soaking  and  washing,  and  succeed 
in  producing  a  fine  meal,  which  is  purely  white.  The  sub- 
stance procured  from  these  germinating  seeds  has  a  look  very 
similar  to  the  root  of  the  Florentine  iris.  They  treat  the 
tubers  of  the  Nymphsea  in  very  much  the  same  way,  and 
render  them  quite  edible. 

With  the  choice  cookery  corresponds  also  the  decorum 
of  their  behaviour  at  meals.  They  certainly,  in  this  point, 
more  resemble  ourselves  than  any  Orientals.  They  do  not 
all  dip  their  hands  at  once  into  the  same  dish,  like  the  Turks 
and  Arabs,  but  assist  themselves  singly.  A  large  dish  of 
cooked  farina  is  placed  upon  the  ground,  around  which  the 
guests  recline,  each  with  his  gourd-shell  of  milk,  or,  better 
still,  of  butter,  at  his  side  ;  the  first  pours  his  milk  only  on 
the  part  which  he  touches,  and  when  he  has  taken  enough, 
he  passes  the  dish  to  the  next,  and  thus  they  eat  in  succes- 
sion, but  quite  separately.  The  Dinka  repudiate  the  Oriental 
superstition  that  envious  looks  can  turn  the  food  to  poison, 
and  have  no  fear  of  the    evil  eye." 

At  times  it  greatly  amused  me  to  entertain  Dinka  ladies 
of  rank  in  my  tent,  in  order  to  pay  them  the  compliment  of 
my  admiration  of  their  perfection  in  the  arts  of  cookery. 
On  my  folding  table  I  laid  out  for  them  some  European 
dishes,  and  they  sat  on  my  chairs.  I  was  astonished  at  the 
readiness  with  which  they  fell  into  our  mode  of  serving,  for 
they  handled  our  spoons  and  forks  as  if  they  were  perfectly 
accustomed  to  them ;  but  they  nearly  always  carefully 
washed  everything  they  had  used,  and  returned  it  to  its 
place. 

In  the  interior  of  their  dwellings,  the  Dinka  are  as  clean 
as  the  Shillooks,  sharing  the  same  partiality  for  ashes  as  a 
bed.  It  ought  to  be  mentioned  that  tlie  traveller  in  this 
part  of  Africa  is  rarely  troubled  with  vermin  or  fleas,  which 
everywhere  else,  like  desolation  and  slavery,  seem  invariably 


158 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


to  have  followed  the  track  of  Islam.  In  the  Western  Soudan 
the  torments  of  the  night  are  represented  as  insupportable, 
so  that  the  huts  of  the  Hottentots  are  not  worse.  Among 
the  Dinka  it  is  entirely  different.  The  onlf  disquietude  to 
a  stranger  in  their  houses  arises  from  the  snakes,  which  rustle 
in  the  straw  roofs,  and  disturb  his  rest.  Snakes  are  the 
only  creatures  to  which  either  Dinka  or  Shillooks  pay  any 
sort  of  reverence.  The  Dinka  call  them  their  "  brethren," 
and  look  upon  their  slaughter  as  a  crime.  I  was  informed 
by  witnesses  which  I  had  no  cause  to  distrust,  that  the  sepa- 
rate snakes  are  individually  known  to  the  householder,  who 
calls  them  by  name,  and  treats  them  as  domestic  animals. 
Their  abundance  here  seemed  to  me  very  remarkable. 
Among  the  Bongo,  on  the  other  hand,  I  spent  six  months 
before  I  saw  a  single  specimen,  and  it  appears  to  be  an  esta- 
blished fact  that,  upon  the  whole,  they  are  not  generally 
common  in  Tropical  Africa.  Perhaps  the  species  which  is 
most  frequent  is  the  giant  python  (Sehce).  Those  which 
inhabit  the  Dinka  huts  are,  as  far  as  I  could  learn,  not 
venomous;  and,  as  evidence  that  they  are  harmless,  I  cite 
the  scientific  names  of  the  three  species  :  Psammo^his  jounc- 
tatus,  Ps.  sihilans,  and  Ahaetuella  irregularis. 

The  Dinka  are  far  more  particular  than  any  other  tribe 
in  the  choice  of  their  animal  food.  There  are  many  creep- 
ing things,  which  are  not  rejected  by  the  Bongo  and  Niam- 
niam,  which  they  loathe  with  the  utmost  disgust.  Croco- 
diles, iguanas,  frogs,  crabs,  and  mice  they  never  touch  ;  but, 
connoisseurs  of  what  is  good,  they  use  turtles  for  making 
soup.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  the  accounts  of  the 
cannibalism  of  the  Niam-niam  excite  as  much  horror  amongst 
them  as  amongst  ourselves.  Nothing,  likewise,  is  more 
repulsive  to  them  than  dog's  flesh,  which  is  enjoyed  by  the 
Mittoo — a  fact  which  justifies  us  in  the  supposition  that  that 
tribe  is  addicted  to  cannibalism.  Dinka,  as  well  as  Bongo, 
have  declared  to  me  in  the  most  decided  manner,  that  they 

• 


DINKA  DWELLINGS. 


159 


would  rather  die  of  hunger  than  eat  the  flesh  of  a  dog.  But 
a  delicious  morgel  to  the  Dinka  is  the  wild  cat  of  the  steppes, 
which  is  often  found  in  this  part  of  Africa,  and  is  the  origin  of 
our  domestic  cat,  to  which  it  bears  no  slight  resemblance. 
But  more  delicious  than  all  they  esteem  the  hare ;  and  in 
order  to  illustrate  their  appreciation  of  it,  a  Dinka,  to  whom 
I  was  talking,  naively  asked  me  whether  I  knew  what  a 
Dinka  did  when  he  managed  to  kill  a  hare  on  the  steppe  by 
a  lucky  blow  of  his  club  ?  He  makes  a  fire,"  he  added, 
"and  roasts  his  game  atid  eats  it  quietly,  without  saying 
anything  about  it  at  home." 

Even  before  they  had  any  intercourse  with  Mohammedan 
countries,  a  love  of  tobacco-smoking  had  been  one  of  the 
traits  of  the  Dinka,  who  use  the  same  huge  pipe-bowls  as  we 
have  already  observed  amongst  the  Shillooks.  A  strong  stem 
opens  into  a  small  calabash,  which  serves  as  a  mouth-piece, 
and  is  filled  with  fine  bast,  to  intercept  the  narcotic  oils. 
Denarcotinizing,  as  it  is  termed,  is  quite  an  old  African 
invention.  Here,  where  tobacco  does  not  grow  at  all  plenti- 
fully, the  process  answers  a  double  purpose,  for,  by  taking 
off  the  top  of  the  pipe,  the  bast  can  be  removed,  and,  im- 
pregnated as  it  is  with  tobacco  oil,  it  is  subsequently  chewed. 
The  smoking  apparatus  is  so  ponderous  that  every  one  is 
obliged  to  sit  down  while  he  smokes. 

The  Dinka  dwellings  consist  of  small  groups  of  huts  clus- 
tered in  farmsteads  over  the  cultivated  plains.  Villages  in 
a  proper  sense  there  are  none ;  but  the  cattle  of  separate 
districts  are  united  in  a  large  park,  which  the  Khartoomers 
call  a  "murah."*  The  accompanying  drawing  represents 
a  Dinka  farm  surrounded  by  sorghum  fields.  Of  the  three 
huts,  the  one  in  the  centre,  with  a  double  porchway,  is  set 
apart  for  the  head  of  the  family ;  that  on  the  left  is  for  the 


*  The  derivation  of  "  murah  "  would  seem  to  be  from  "  rah,"  rest,  '  merah," 
a  resting-place  for  cows,  or  "  menah,"  a  resting-place  for  camels. 


160 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


women;  whilst  the  largest  and  most  imposing  hut  on  the 
right  is  a  hospital  for  sick  cows,  which  require  to  be  separated 
from  the  throngs  in  the  murah  that  they  may  receive  proper 
attention.  Under  an  awning  in  the  centre  of  the  huts  is  the 
fireplace  for  the  cooking,  sheltered  from  the  wind  by  a  semi- 
circular screen  of  clay.  The  goats  are  kept  within  a  small 
thorn  fence,  so  that  the  daily  supply  of  milk  may  be  always 
at  hand. 

As  a  rule  the  huts  of  the  Dinka  are  spacious,  and  more 
durable  than  those  of  other  tribes 'who  build  their  dwellings 
in  the  same  conical  form.  They  are  not  unfrequently  40 
feet  in  diameter ;  their  foundations  are  composed  of  a  mix- 
ture of  clay  and  chopped  straw,  and  the  supports  of  the  roof 
are  made  of  branches  of  acacia  and  other  hard  woods.  Not 
(^ontent  with  supporting  these  with  a  single  central  prop,  the 
Dinka  erect  a  trunk  with  its  spreading  brandies  in  the  middle. 


The  roof  is  contrived  out  of  layers 
of  cut  straw.  These  buildings  en- 
dure for  eight  or  ten  years,  and 
decay  at  length  mainly  through 
being  worm-eaten.  The  huts  of 
the  Bongo,  on  the  contrary,  are 
built  up  much  more  rapidly,  but 


Sectional  vj^^^^j^.^^^^"^  construction  rarely    last  as    much  as  three 

years. 

The  principal  plants  that  are  here  cultivated  are  sorghum 
and  penicillaria,  three  kinds  of  beans,  earth-nuts  {Arachis)^ 
earth-peas  (Voandzeia  suhterranea),  sesame,  yams,  and  Vir- 
ginian tobacco ;  but  we  shall  have  a  more  ample  opportunity 
of  entering  into  the  details  of  these  crops  when  we  speak  of 
the  Bongo,  who  cultivate  nearly  the  same  products  of  the 
soil. 

The  domestic  animals  are  oxen,  sheep,  goats,  and  dogs ; 
poultry  was  never  to  be  seen,  and  the  cause  of  its  absence  is 
inexplicable.    The  rattle  belong  to  the  Zebu  race,  and  are 


DINKA  CATTLE. 


161 


smaller  than  those  of  the  Baggara  and  Hassanieh  ;  they 
have  a  hump,  their  horns  are  slender,  the  fore  part  of  the 
body  prevailing  so  in  size  as  to  resemble  an  antelope.  As  to 
colour,  the  majority  a^e  nearly  white,  but  it  would  be  incor- 
rect to  say  that  either  the  speckled  or  the  striped,  the  tawny 


Dinka  Bull. 


or  the  brown,  are  wanting.  The  Dinka  have  separate  ex- 
pressions to  .denote  every  shade  of  colour  of  the  breed,  and, 
indeed,  their  vocabulary  for  all  that  relates  to  cattle  and 
cattle-breeding  is  more  copious  than  that  of  any  European 
tongue. 

The  sheep  are  of  a  peculiar  breed,  which  is  unique  amongst 
the  Dinka,  Nueir,  and  Shillooks ;  farther  on  in  the  interior 
of  the  equatorial  districts  it  is  not  known.  Its  chief  charac- 
teristic consists  of  a  shaggy  appendage  to  the  shoulders, 
breast,  and  neck,  like  a  mane,  whilst  on  the  rest  of  the  body, 
and  on  the  meagre  tail,  the  hair  is  quite  short.  This  mantle 
of  hair  gives  them  an  appearance  like  diminutive  buffaloes, 
whilst  their  plump  bodies  and  short  legs  increase  the  resem- 
blance.   Generally  white,  they  are  occasionally  brown  or 


162  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

spotted,  and  in  some  rare  cases  I  have  seen  them  of  quite  a 
reddish  hue*  Like  the  pastoral  people  of  Southern  Africa, 
the  Dinka  have  acquired  the  art  of,  splitting  the  horns  in 
their  early  growth,  so  as  to  increase  their  number  at  will. 

The  continual  dampness  of  the  pasture,  especially  through- 
out the  rainy  season,  favours  the  development  of  revolting 
intestinal  vermes,  and  the  rain-pools  in  the  dry  months 


Dinka  Sheep. 


become  most  prolific  as  breeding-places  for  Cercariae.  I  have 
frequently  seen  sheep  suffering  under  disease,  their  ailment 
arising  from  their  liver  and  gall-ducts  being  choked  up  by 
these  worms.  The  distoma,  which  is  a  denizen  of  every  zone 
and  extends  even  to  Greenland,  is  found  here  an  inch  long. 

The  race  of  goats  bred  by  the  Dinka  does  not  differ  mate- 
rially from  the  Ethiopian  form,  which  we  have  already 
noticed t  among  the  Bedouins  of  Nubia;  its  only  distinc- 


*  The  illustration  gives  a  likeness  of  a  Dinka  sheep,  which  must  not,  how- 
ever, be  confounded  with  the  maned  sheep  of  Morocco, 
t  Vide  Chap.  I.,  p.  33. 


DINKA  DOG. 


163 


tion  is  being  somewhat  larger ;  in  appearance  it  is  always 
meagre,  and  its  prevailing  colour  is  that  of  a  young  grey 
colt,  occasionally  inclining  to  a  dark  iron-grey. 

The  dogs  closely  resemble  the  common  village  curs  of 
Nubia,  a  cross  between  the  greyhound  of  the  Nubian  steppes 
and  the  pariah  of  the  streets  of  Cairo.    It  is  not  unusual  for 


Dinka  Goat. 


their  colour  to  be  brown,  but  by  far  the  larger  number  are 
a  tawny  yellpw. 

Every  idea  and  thought  of  the  Dinka  is  how  to  acquire  and 
maintain  cattle  :  a  kind  of  reverence  would  seem  to  be  paid  to 
them  ;  even  their  offal  is  considered  of  high  importance  ;  the 
dung,  which  is  burnt  to  ashes  for  sleeping  in  and  for  smearing 
their  persons,  and  the  urine,  which  is  used  for  washing  and  as 
a  substitute  for  salt,  are  their  daily  requisites.  It  must  be 
owned  that  it  is  hard  to  reconcile  this  latter  usaee  with  our 
ideas  of  cleanliness.  A  cow  is  never  slaughtered,  but  when 
sick  it  is  segregated  from  the  rest,  and  carefully  tended  in 
the  large  huts  built  for  the  purpose.    Only  those  that  die 


164 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


naturally  or  by  an  accident  are  used  as  food.  All  this,  which 
exists  amongst  most  of  the  pastoral  tribes  of  Africa,  may  per- 
chance appear  to  be  a  lingering  remnant  of  an  exploded 
cattle-worship ;  but  I  may  draw  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
Dinka  are  by  no  means  disinclined  to  partake  of  any  feast  of 
their  flesh,  provided  that  the  slaughtered  animal  was  not 
their  own  property.  It  is  thus  more  the  delight  of  actual 
possession,  than  any  superstitious  estimate,  that  makes  the 
cow  to  them  an  object  of  reverence.  Indescribable  is  the  grief 
when  either  death  or  rapine  has  robbed  a  Dinka  of  his  cattle. 
He  is  prepared  to  redeem  their  loss  by  the  heaviest  sacrifices, 
for  they  are  dearer  to  him  than  wife  or  child.  A  dead  cow 
is  not,  however,  wantonly  buried ;  the  negro  is  not  senti- 
mental enough  for  that ;  such  an  occurrence  is  soon  bruited 
abroad,  and  the  neighbours  institute  a  carousal,  which  is  quite 
an  epoch  in  their  monotonous  life.  The  bereaved  owner 
himself  is,  however,  too  much  afflicted  at  the  loss  to  be  able 
to  touch  a  morsel  of  the  carcase  of  his  departed  beast.  Not 
unfrequently  in  their  sorrow  the  Dinka  remain  for  days 
silent  and  abstracted,  as  though  their  trouble  were  too  heavy 
for  them  to  bear. 

The  only  domestic  animal  which  is  slaughtered  amongst 
them  is  the  goat,  which  scarcely  represents  the  thirtieth  part 
of  the  value  of  a  cow.  A  heifer  has  three  times  the  value, 
and  a  cow  that  has  calved  double  the  value  of  a  steer.  In 
common  with  the  other  tribes  of  this  part  of  Africa  they  use 
rather  a  singular  method  of  butchering  their  cattle,  proceed- 
ing, whenever  it  is  practicable,  by  the  way  of  making  a  violent 
stab  in  the  nape  of  the  neck  by  means  of  a  spear.  This 
causes  immediate  death,  and  is  a  method  which  gives  but 
little  trouble. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  how  people  like  the  Dinka 
should  make  their  whole  delight  to  centre  in  having  thriving 
cattle-farms,  but  to  us  their  profitless  practice  of  emascula- 
tion must  remain  incomprehensible.    The  herdsmen  cut  their 


"DEGENERATION  OF  CATTLE. 


165 


bulls  and  bucks  with  the  mere  intention  of  feasting  their 
eyes  upon  a  development  of  fat  which  is  always  obnoxious  to 
the  stomach.  Almost  the  third  part  of  their  bulls  are  sub- 
mitted to  the  knife,  and  the  same  proportion  of  their  goats 
and  rams,  and  even  their  dogs,  with  the  design  of  rendering 
them  more  agile,  more  enduring,  and  fitter  for  the  chase ;  this 
also  being  the  reason  why  their  ears  and  tails  are  clipped. 
Ask  the  Dinka  what  good  they  get  from  their  possessions  of 
oxen,  and  they  have  ever  the  answer  ready  thait  it  is  quite 
enough  if  they  get  fat  and  look  nice.  Such  is  the  way  in 
which  they  express  their  satisfaction  and  their  pride. 

The  failure  of  the  beard  amongst  the  male  cattle  so  treated 
is  a  topic  that  suggests  some  observations.  In  spite  of  the 
anxiety  and  care  which  the  Dinka  bestow  upon  their  herds, 
there  is  no  mistake  about  the  degeneration  of  the  race.  The 
way  in  which  I  chiefly  account  for  this  is  that  there  is  not 
enough  crossing  of  breeds — in  fact,  that  there  is  almost  a  total 
exclusion  of  any  strange  stock.  I  should  say  that  hardly  one 
in  a  hundred  of  the  beasts  is  capable  of  either  bearing  a 
burden  or  going  a  journey,  a  purpose,  however,  to  which  none 
of  the  negroes  of  the  Upper  Nile  ever  seem  to  put  them. 
But  nothing  is  more  remarkable  than  the  entire  absence  of 
fat  which  characterises  them ;  a  single  pound  of  fat  could  not 
be  obtained  from  a  whole  ox ;  and  not  only  does  this  defi- 
ciency extend  to  the  parts  that  are  ordinarily  plump  and 
fleshy,  but  the  spinal  marrow  itself  is  so  utterly  dry  that  in 
a  stewpan  it  runs  off  like  white  of  egg,  without  depositing  a 
particle  of  grease.  Eye-witnesses  have  assured  me  that  Miss 
Tinne,  during  her  residence  here,  although  she  had  whole 
herds  at  her  command,  could  never  get  her  supply  of  pomade 
replenished. 

Again  the  cattle  of  the  Dinka  are  not  provided  with  salt 
in  any  form  whatever,,  which  may  in  a  measure  account  for 
the  degenerating;  it  may  explain  the  prevalence,  all  but 
universal,  of'  the  worms  known  as  "kyatt,"  which  cover 


166 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  first  stomach  or  paunch,  of  nearly  aU  their  cattle. 
These  worms  in  Europe  are  included  in  the  genus  of  the 

Amphistoma;  they  are  like  an 
oval  bag,  something  under  half 
an  inch  long,  and  generally  as  red 
as  port  wine. 

The  sheep  and  he-goats  that 
^^^^  are  left  are  quite  devoid  of  fat, 
^aiffi3^      their  flesh  when  it  is  cooked  has 

"Kyatt"  Worm.  ^^-^^^    ^^^^^    flaVOUr,    aud  is 

altogether  more  repulsive  than  the  rankest  roast  antelope. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  degree  to  which  the  Dinka  devote 
all  their  attention  to  cattle-breeding,  and  find  their  chief 
delight  in  it,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  great  amusement 
of  the  children  is  to  mould  goats  and  bullocks  out  of  clay. 
Travellers  have  related  the  same  fact  about  the  children  of 
the  Makololo ;  and,  for  my  part,  I  could  not  help  having  a 
kind  of  satisfaction  when  I  saw  these  first  efforts  at  sculpture 
in  a  land  where  there  are  no  pictures  and  no  images  of  deities. 

The  accompanying  illustration  is  designed  to  exhibit  some- 
thing of  the  daily  routine  of  the  Dinka.  It  represents  one  of 
those  murahs  or  cattle-parks,  of  which  I  have  seen  hundreds. 
It  depicts  the  scene  at  about  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
In  the  foreground  there  are  specimen?}  of  the  cattle  of  the 
country.  The  men  in  charge  are  busied  in  collecting  up  into 
heaps  the  dung  that  has  been  exposed  during  the  day  to  be 
dried  in  the  sun.  Clouds  of  reeking  vapour  fill  the  ^urah 
throughout  the  night  and  drive  away  the  pestiferous  insects. 
The  herds  have  just  been  driven  to  their  quarters,  and  each 
animal  is  fastened  by  a  leather  collar  to  its  own  wooden  peg. 
Towards  the  left,  on  a  pile  of  ashes,  sit  the  owners  of  this 
section  of  the  murah.  The  ashes  which  are  produced  in  the 
course  of  a  year  raise  the  level  of  the  entire  estate.  Semi- 
circular huts  erected  on  the  hillocks  afford  the  owners  tem- 
porary accommodation  when  they  quit  their  homes  some 


ni*  Ubrtn 

•1  the 
Okntv«r«Ky  of  WWnoU 


DINKA  POPULATION. 


16: 


miles  away  and  come  to  feast  their  eyes  upon  the  goodly 
spectacle  of  their  wealth. 

The  milking  is  performed  in  the  morning  hours.  Truly 
miserable  is  the  yield,  and  the  most  prolific  of  the  cows  does 
not  give  as  much  as  one  of  our  ordinary  goats.  This  defi- 
ciency of  milk  is  another  witness  of  the  deterioration  of  the 
breed,  and  no  one  would  believe  the  quantity  of  milk  it  takes 
to  produce  a  single  pound  of  butter.  The  dew  hardly  goes 
off  before  ten  o'clock,  and  it  is  not  until  that  hour  that  the 
herds  are  driven  out.  It  is  quite  rare  for  a  murah  to  hold 
less  than  2000  beasts,  and  some,  as  I  have  mentioned,  are 
capable  of  holding  10,000.  Upon  an  average  I  should  reckon 
that  for  every  head  of  the  population  there  would  be  found 
at  least  three  of  cattle  ;  of  course,  there  is  no  lack  of  the  poor 
and  the  destitute,  and  these  obviously  are  the  slaves  and 
dependents  of  the  rich.  So  large  are  the  numbers  of  the 
Dinka,  and  so  extensive  their  territory,  that  it  must  be  ex- 
pected that  they  will  long  perpetuate  their  existence  amongst 
the  promiscuous  inhabitants  of  Africa.  So  far  as  regards 
their  race,  their  line  of  life,  and  their  customs,  they  have  all 
the  material  of  national  unity ;  but  where  they  fail  is  that 
their  tribes  not  only  make  war  upon  each  other,  but  submit 
to  be  enlisted  as  the  instruments  of  treachery  by  intruders 
from  outside.  That  the  Khartoomers  have  not  been  able 
hitherto  to  make  good  their  footing  upon  Dinka  soil  is  due 
more  to  a  general  resistance  to  external  control  than  to  any 
internal  condition  of  concord.  Every  attempt  to  bring  this 
people  into  subjection  has  been  quite  a  failure,  and  not  at  all 
the  easy  matter  it  proved  with  the  Bongo  and  some  other 
communities.  The  southern  people  are  emphatically  agricul- 
tural, for  the  most  part  devoted  to  peaceful  pursuits,  and  so  they 
are  wanting  in  that  kind  of  organisation  which  could  unite 
them  into  a  formidable  body  for  mutual  resistance.  The 
marked  peculiarity  of  the  Dinka,  as  well  as  their  adherence  to 
all  their  wonted  habits,  renders  them  thoroughly  useless  as  far 


168  •        THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


as  regards  the  slave  traffic.  Although  the  people  of  Khartoom 
for  fifteen  years  or  more  have  traversed  their  country,  they  have 
never  been  able  in  any  way  to  make  use  of  the  material  which 
might  be  afforded  by  a  regulated  commercial  intercourse. 

The  Bongo  and  the  Niam-niam  are  alike  greedy  of  bits  of 
clothing,  but  the  Dinka  are  utterly  indifferent  to  anything 
of  the  sort.  The  women,  on  account  of  their  proficiency  in 
housekeeping,  play  a  large  part  in  the  Khartoom  slave-trade, 
but  they  give  their  masters  infinitely  more  trouble  than  the 
slaves  of  any  other  race.  The  men  that  were  captured,  in 
days  now  gone  by,  were  one  and  all  converted  into  soldiers  by 
the  Grovernment,  and,  even  to  this  date,  so  large  a  majority 
of  the  dark-skinned  troops  of  Egypt  consists  of  men  of  the 
Dinka,  that  their  well-formed  persons,  their  tall  stature,  and 
their  innate  courage,  would  be  missed  very  considerably  from 
the  ranks.  Adam  Pasha,  who  at  the  time  of  my  visit  had  the 
military  command  in  the  Soudan,  was  himself  a  Dinka  by  birth. 

I  must  be  allowed  to  pass  lightly  over,  as  an  equivocal 
topic,  the  religion  of  a  people  whose  dialect  I  was  unable 
adequately  to  master.  It  seems  to  me  like  a  desert  of 
mirages,  or  as  a  playground,  where  the  children  of  fancy 
enjoy  their  sport.  The  creed  of  the  Dinka  apparently 
centres  itself  upon  the  institution  to  which  they  give  the 
name  of  the  Cogyoor,  and  which  embraces  a  society  of  necro- 
mancers and  jugglers  by  profession.  Other  travellers  have 
recorded  a  variety  of  marvels  about  their  sleight  of  hand, 
their  ventriloquism,  their  conjurations,  and  their  familiarity 
with  the  ghosts  of  the  dead  ;  but  of  these  I  shall  defer  all  T 
have  to  say  till  I  come  by-and-by  to  speak  generally  about 
casting  out  devils. 

Before  we  leave  the  Dinka  we  must  not  omit  to  recall 
•their  virtues,  in  order  that  we  may  fairly  estimate  the  charge 
that  has  been  laid  against  them  of  cruelty  in  war.  It  is 
affirmed  that  they  are  pitiless  and  unrelenting  in  fight,  that 
they  are  never  Known  to  give  quarter,  and  revel  in  wild 


DINKA  CHARACTER. 


169 


dances  around  the  bodies  of  their  slaughtered  foes :  a  whole 
village  will  take  their  share  in  the  orgies  which  one  of  the 
community  will  start,  whenever,  either  by  lance  or  club,  he 
has  prostrated  an  antagonist.  But,  for  my  part,  I  am  ready 
to  certify  that  there  are  Dinka  whose  tenderness  and  com- 
passion are  beyond  a  question.  One  of  the  Bongo  related  to 
me,  as  a  matter  of  his  own  experience,  that  he  had  been 
severely  wounded  upon  an  expedition  which  the  Nubians 
had  set  on  foot  against  the  Dinka  to  steal  their  cattle:  he 
had  laid  himself  down  just  outside  a  Dinka's  house,  and  the 
owner  had  not  simply  protected  him  against  all  his  prosecu- 
tors, who  considered  themselves  amply  justified  in  proceeding 
to  every  extreme  of  vengeance,  but  kept  him  till  he  had 
regained  his  health  :  not  content  with  that,  he  provided  him 
with  an  escort  back,  and  did  not  abandon  him  till  he  was 
safe  and  sound  again  amongst  his  own  people. 

Notwithstanding,  then,  that  certain  instances  may  be 
alleged  which  seem  to  demonstrate  that  the  character  of  the 
Dinka  is  unfeeling,  these  cases  never  refer  to  such  as  are 
bound  by  the  ties  of  kindred.  Parents  do  not  desert  their 
children,  nor  are  brothers  faithless  to  brothers,  but  are  ever 
prompt  to  render  whatever  aid  is  possible.  The  accusation 
is  quite  unjustifiable  that  family  affection,  in  our  sense,  is  at 
a  low  ebb  among  them.  In  the  spring  of  1871,  whilst  I  was 
staying  in  the  Seriba  of  Kurshook  Ali  on  the  Dyoor,  I 
witnessed  a  circumstance  which  I  may  relate  as  a  singular 
corroboration  of  my  opinion.  A  Dinka  man,  who  had  been 
one  of  the  bearers  who  had  carried  my  stores  from  the 
Meshera,  was  about  to  return  to  his  owi^  home  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Ghattas,  but  he  had  been  attacked  by  the  guinea- 
worm,  and  his  feet  w^ere  so  swollen  that  it  was  with  the 
utmost  difficulty  that  he  could  proceed  a  step,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  remain  behind  alone.  Everything  was  excessively 
scarce  and  dear,  and  he  was  glad  to  subsist  on  a  few  handfuls 
of  durra  and  on  what  scraps  we  gave  him  from  our  meals ; 


170 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


in  this  way  he  dragged  on,  and,  with  a  little  patience,  would 
have  been  all  right :  however,  he  was  not  suffered  to  wait 
long  ;  his  father  appeared  to  fetch  him.  This  old  man  had 
brought  neither  cart  nor  donkey,  but  he  set  out  and  carried 
away  the  great  strapping  fellow,  who  was  six  feet  high,  for  a 
distance  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  leagues,  on  his  own  shoulders. 
This  incident  was  regarded  by  the  other  natives  as  a  mere 
matted  of  course. 

In  what  I  have  said,  I  have  attempted  to  describe  .the 
leading  features  in  the  life  of  the  Dinka,  being  desirous  to 
exhibit  such  details  as  may  allow  a  correct  judgment  to  be 
formed  of  the  true  relations  which  exist  between  the  Khar- 
toomers  and  this  people,  who  are  at  once  so  pastoral  and  yet 
so  prepared  for  war. 

Here,  at  the  village  of  Kudy,  our  caravan  had  accom- 
plished about  half  its  journey,  which  was  altogether  a  little 
over  90  miles.  It  was  on  the  afternoon  of  the  28th  of  March 
that  we  started  afresh  towards  Ghattas's  Seriba,  immediately 
after  the  gun  accident  which  I  have  related.  On  account  of 
their  late  liberal  diet,  our  bearers  did  not  advance  with  their 
usual  alacrity.  We  proceeded  for  three  hours,  and  at  a  well 
called  Pamog,  20  feet  deep,  we  halted  for  the  night. 

On  the  next  day  our  route  led  through  forests,  and  we 
entered  upon  the  territory  of  the  Al-Waj.  The  inhabitants 
regarded  us  as  enemies,  and,  seizing  their  bows  and  arrows, 
left  their  dwellings  and,  like  frightened  game,  flocked  to  the 
adjacent  woods.  According  to  our  Dinka  interpreters,  the 
Al-Waj  do  not  belong  to  the  Dinka  race,  but  form  an  enclave, 
or  isolated  community,  of  unknown  origin.  As  we  entered 
the  wood,  for  the  purpose  of  botanising,  the  savages  were 
continually  starting  up  before  us,  causing  no  little  uneasiness 
to  my  companions,  who  suspected  a  flight  of  arrows  from 
every  thicket.  To  say  the  truth,  the  natives  had  been  so 
hardly  treated  that  it  could  not  be  expected  of  them  to  meet 
their  oppressors  very  hospitably. 


AERIVAL  AT  GHATTAS'S  SEUIBA. 


17J 


We  should  have  proceeded  far  more  quickly,  but  that  we 
were  under  the  necessity  at  every  halt  to  send  to  a  distance 
all  round  to  procure  a  fresh  supply  of  corn  for  our  numerous 
party.  This  continually  caused  the  delay  of  several  hours, 
as  the  farms  were  often  very  desolate  and  ill  supplied.  The 
Al-Waj  district  is  an  almost  unbroken  forest  in  the  midst  of 
open  flats.  Throughout  the  rainy  season  it  is  hardly  better 
than  one  vast  puddle.  The  vestiges  of  elephants  are  fre- 
quent at  all  times;  and  both  right  and  left  were  giraffes 
trotting  over  the  rugged  grass  and  wagging  their  tall  heads. 
The  appearance  of  giraffes  when  they  are  running  is  very 
extraordinary,  and,  as  they  are  seen  through  the  grey  twilight 
of  the  morning,  they  have  a  look  half  spectral  and  half  gro- 
tesque ;  they  seem  to  nod  and  bow  like  figures  in  the  ill- 
managed  drops  of  a  second-class  theatre. 

After  leaving  the  village  of  the  Al-Waj  we  proceeded  for 
three  leagues  through  the  forest,  and  found  ourselves  again 
on  the  extensive  steppe.  At  noon  on  the  following  day  we 
reached  the  district  of  the  Dyuihr,  a  clay  flat,  devoid  of 
trees.  The  Khartoomers  cannot  pronounce  the  native  names 
correctly,  and  call  this  people  the  Dyeraweel.  The  Jarge 
villages  were  now  deserted,  the  population,  on  account  of 
the  scarcity  of  water  and  pasturage,  having  gone  to  the  river- 
banks.  For  two  nights  we  sacrificed  our  rest  and  hurried 
onwards  by  forced  marches.  It  was  just  before  sunrise  that 
we  reached  the  first  rocky  irregularity  in  the  soil,  a  general 
ascent  in  the  ground  being  quite  perceptible.  Bush-forests 
now  took  the  place  of  the  steppes,  which  we  had  long  found 
to  be  but  scantily  relieved  by  thickets.  A  luxuriant  foliage 
revealed  itself,  presenting  one  of  those  striking  limits  of 
vegetation  which  are  so  rarely  to  be  met  with  in  Africa. 
From  this  interesting  locality  I  proceeded  for  another  three 
leagues,  thus  accomplishing  the  preliminary  object  of  my 
journey.  I  was  in  the  chief-  Seriba  of  Ghattas,  which  for  some 
months  to  come  I  proposed  to  make  my  head-quarters. 


OHAPTEK  V. 


Reception  at  the  Seriba.  Population.  Fertility.  Salubrity.  Management. 
Poor  prospects  of  the  ivory  trade.  Failure  of  European  firms  in  Khartoom. 
Idrees,  the  chief  agent.  Domestic  arrangements.  Beauties  of  spring. 
The  daughter  Seriba  Geer.  Bit  of  primeval  forest.  Giraflfe-hunt.  Bam- 
boo jungle.  Negro  festival  and  music.  Trip  to  the  Dyoor  and  to  Wow. 
Desertion  of  bearers.  Good  entertainment.  Marquis  Antinori  and  Vays- 
siere.  Old  servant  of  Petherick's.  Hornblende.  Height  of  the  water  of 
the  Dyoor.  Apostrophe  to  the  river.  A  model  Seriba.  First  acquaint- 
ance with  Niam-niam.  Trader  from  Tunis.  The  Wow  River.  Seriba 
Agahd  in  Wow.  Edible  fruits  of  the  country.  Wild  buffaloes.  Insta- 
bility of  dwellings.  Caama  and  Leucotis  antelopes.  Numerous  butterflies. 
Bear-baboons.  Pliaraoh  palms.  Daily  life  of  the  Dyoor.  Their  race. 
Iron-smelting.  Formation  of  huts.  Idyll  of  village  life.  Hunting  with 
snares.    Women's  work.    Graves.    Care  of  young  and  old. 

Of  the  character  of  the  buiklings,  the  arrangements  and 
mode  of  life  in  the  settlements  of  the  Khartoomers,  I  had 
been  able  from  hearsay  to  form  a  very  imperfect  idea.  My 
curiosity  was  therefore  very  considerably  awakened  as  our 
caravan  approached  the  Seriba  of  Ghattas.  Half  a  league 
from  the  place  we  came  to  a  halt  in  order  to  give  the 
customary  warning  by  firing  a  salute,  and  without  farther 
delay  started  afresh.  Mounted  on  a  donkey,  and  surrounded 
by  my  attendants,  I  went  at  the  head  of  the  cortege.  All 
round  the  settlement  for  some  distance  the  land  is  entirely 
cultivated,  and  the  view  as  we  proceeded  was  only  broken  by 
large  trees  dotted  here  and  there,  which  in  their  summer 
verdure  stood  out  in  charming  contrast  to  the  cheerless  grey 
of  the  desert  steppe.  Soon  rising  from  the  plain  appeared 
the  tops  of  the  conical  huts  embracing  nearly  the  whole 
horizon.    I  looked  in  vain  for  either  fortifications,  walls, 


RECEPTION  AT  GHATTAS'S  SERIBA. 


173 


bastions,  or  watch-towers,  with  which  I  had  imagined  that  a 
Khartoomer's  Seriba  must  be  provided.  In  fact,  there  was 
hardly  anything  to  distinguish  it  from  any  of  tlie  villages  of 
the  Dinka  which  are  scattered  over  the  cultivated  flats. 

A  motley  crowd,  relieved  by  many  a  bright  bit  of  colour, 
presented  itself  and  formed  a  lively  spectacle  such  as  was 
scarcely  to  be  expected  to  break  in  upon  the  monotony  of  an 
African  landscape.  We  Avere  received  with  a  rattling  salute 
from  a  number  of  rusty  rifles,  and.  there  was  every  disposi- 
tion to  do  the  honours  of  our  arrival  in  a  becoming  manner. 
Elegantly  attired  in  an  Oriental  costume,  Ghattas*s  agent 
approached  with  the  gestures  of  welcome,  and  proceeded  to 
conduct  me  to  the  hut  which  for  some  weeks  already  had 
been  prepared  for  my  reception.  For  the  first  time  I 
now  observed  that  the  area  in  the  centre  of  the  huts  was 
surrounded  by  a  lofty  square  palisade ;  through  the  narrow 
gateway  of  this,  with  lowered  banners  and  amidst  the  sound 
of  gongs  and  kettle-drums,  our  cavalcade  passed  on. 

With  this  chief  Seriba  are  associated  five  smaller  settle- 
ments in  the  adjoining  Bongo  country,  and  four  more  in 
remoter  spots.  It  lies  on  the  border-lines  of  the  three  races, 
the  Dinka,  the  Dyoor,  and  the  Bongo.  From  an  insig- 
nificant beginning  it  had,  in  the  course  of  thirteen  years, 
increased  to  its  present  importance.  A  number  of  Gellahba, 
Nubian,  and  other  merchants,  had  taken  up  their  abode  on 
large  estates  within  its  precincts ;  and  here  it  was  that  they 
completed  their  purchases  of  slaves  in  order  to  carry  them 
on  to  Darfur  and  Kordofan.  The  garrison  was  composed 
almost  exclusively  of  natives  of  Dongola;  there  were, 
however,  a  few  Sheigeah  and  men  of  Kordofan  among  them, 
and  these,  including  the  numerous  employes  of  Ghattas, 
made  the  resident  armed  force  not  much  under  250  men. 
To  these  should  be  added  some  hundreds  of  slaves  reserved 
for  the  market,  or  divided  as  part  of  their  pay  amongst  the 
soldiers,  and  several  hundreds  more,  male  and  female,  who 


174  THE  HPART  OF  AFRICA. 

are  in  actual  service.  The  aggregate  population  therefore 
of  this  establishment  almost  equals  that  of  a  small  town, 
and  amounts  to  at  least  1000  souls. 

For  two  miles  round  the  Seriba  the  land  is  partitioned 
into  fields.  Enclosed  by  dense  bush  forests,  of  which  the 
trees  rarely  exceed  forty  feet  in  height,  this  wide-  expanse 
is  industriously  tilled  by  the  natives  who  have  settled  in  the 
vicinity,  and  furnishes  the  greater  part  of  the  annual  supply 
of  sorghum  necessary  for  the  garrison.  Numerous  little 
villages  belonging  to  the  three  adjoining  people  are  scat- 
tered all  about,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  so  much  above  the 
average  of  the  district,  causing  the  proximity  to  the  settle- 
ment to  be  held  in  high  estimation.  The  surface-soil  above 
the  iron  ore  has  a  depth  of  three  to  four  feet.  The  extreme 
productiveness  of  the  luxuriant  tropics  is  well  exemplified 
in  these  fields,  which  for  thirteen  years  have  undergone 
continual  tillage  without  once  lying  fallow  and  with  no 
other  manuring  but  what  is  afforded  by  the  uprooted  weeds. 
A  like  luxuriance  is  characteristic  of  the  forests,  which  year 
after  year,  from  the  immediate  vicinity,  continue  to  supply 
the  spreading  colony  with  abundance  of  fuel. 

In  the  rainy  season  the  place  is  surrounded  by  pools, 
which  disappear  completely  during  the  winter  months ; 
parts  of  the  soil  in  and  about  the  fields  become  for  the 
time  quite  marshy,  and  at  intervals  large  tracts  of  the 
lower  steppes,  for  miles  together,  are  little  better  than 
swamps.  The  Seriba  is  not  elevated  more  than  100  feet 
above  the  mean  level  of  the  Gazelle,  but  in  spite  of  every- 
thing the  climate  is  far  more  salubrious  and  enjoyable  than 
in  many  districts  of  the  Egyptian  Soudan.  This  may  partly 
be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  very  few  domestic  animals 
are  kept,  so  that  the  air  is  uninfected  by  their  carcases, 
whilst  the  reverse  is  generally  the  case  in  the  large  market 
towns  of  th^  Soudan.  Camels,  as  I  have  said,  are  never 
seen ;  horses  and  mules  are  only  used  as  signs  of  special 


UNREMUNERATIVE  IVORY  TRAFFIC. 


175 


luxury  on  the  part  of  the  Seriba  authorities';  the  ass  alone 
manages  to  drag  out  a  precarious  existence  in  the  unfavour- 
able climate,  and  to  defy  the  fate  which  has  hitherto  attended 
all  efforts  for  its  acclimatisation.  Fevers  indeed  are  common, 
though  they  rarely  carry  off  new  comers.  Hitherto  but  few 
white  men  have  come  to  make  experience  of  the  climate  in 
this  portion  of  Africa ;  and  up  to  the  time  of  my  sojourn  the 
visits  of  either  Turks  or  Egyptians  had  been  almost  as  rare. 

The  district  between  Ghattas's  six  Seribas  in  the  northern 
Bongo  country  and  immediately  under  his  authority,  extends 
over  an  area  of  about  200  square  miles,  of  which  at  least 
45  miles  are  under  cultivation.  The  total  population,  to 
judge  by  the  number  of  huts  and  by  the  bearers  stationed 
in  different  parts,  can  hardly  amount  to  much  less  than 
12,000.  This  domain,  worth  millions  of  pounds  were  it 
situate  in  Europe,  might,  I  believe,  at  any  time  be  bought 
from  its  owner  for  20,000  dollars:  and  this  1  mention  as 
a  proof  of  how  small  is  the  profit  actually  yielded  by  these 
settlements,  which  have  been  started  by  so  magnificent  a 
spirit  of  enterprise.  I  could  show  by  reliable  statistics  that 
in  some  years  the  returns  from  the  ivory  have  fallen  far 
short  of  the  expenditure.  The  year  of  my  arrival  may 
perhaps  be  considered  as  an  average  season,  and  in  this 
the  ivory  sent  to  Khartoom  realised  scarcely  10,000  Maria 
Theresa  dollars.  The  expenses  of  keeping  up  two  or  three 
well-manned  boats,  so  as  to  insure  uninterrupted  intercourse 
with  Khartoom,  are  considerable,  while  from  any  traffic  in 
slaves  the  owner  of  the  Seriba  has  little  to  expect.  In  one 
way,  however,  slaves  do  occasionally  contribute  a  secondary 
profit  to  the  expeditions.  In  times  when  hostilities  break 
out  and  the  proper  stores  from  Khartoom  cannot  be  ob- 
tained, the  agents  are  induced  to  part  with  whatever  slaves 
they  have  to  the  Gellahba  for  a  mere  bagatelle ;  they  ex- 
change them  for  calico  or  anything  else  they  can  get,  and 
make  use  of  the  proceeds  to  pay  the  soldiers. 


176  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

When  affairs  are  prospering,  a  month's  pay  for  a  soldier 
is  five  Maria  Theresa  dollars.  One  of  the  great  points  with 
the  agents  is  to  spare  the  merchant  any  outlay  of  ready 
money:  he  therefore,  as  often  as  he  can,  pays  the  mer- 
cenaries in  goods,  charging  them  exorbitant  prices  for  any 
articles  obtained  from  his  stores;  on  the  other  hand,  he 
makes  this  up  to  them  in  a  measure  by  allowing  them 
a  share  in  the  plunder  of  slaves  or  of  cattle;  the  soldiers 
in  their  turn  can  dispose  of  what  booty  they  may  get,  all 
negotiations  being  generally  conducted  by  the  regular  slave- 
dealers.  It  is  very  seldom  that  the  men  are  wary  enough 
to  keep  independent  of  the  agent  in  their  requirements,  or 
are  able,  even  in  the  course  of  many  years,  to  lay  by  in 
Khartoom  any  considerable  amount  of  money.  The  majority 
are  pledged  beforehand  to  continual  service;  nevertheless 
not  unfrequently  they  contrive  to  escape  and,  without  any 
intimation,  join  the  company  of  some  competitor,  who  (in 
the  lawless  condition  of  the  country)  quietly  scorns  all 
efforts  to  reclaim  them.  Such  cases  as  these  inevitably  give 
rise  to  repeated  contentions  between  the  various  Seribas. 
The  annual  cattle-plunder,  moreover,  does  not  nearly  suffice 
either  to  attract  or  adequately  to  repay  the  hard  services 
of  the  Nubian  soldier,  nor  does  it  go  far  to  remunerate 
the  native  bearers,  who  perform  all  the  transport  from  the 
Niam-niam  countries  to  the  river.  All  matters  of  com- 
merce even  in  these  remote  regions  are  ostensibly  con- 
ducted in  a  legitimate  mercantile  way.  For  the  opening 
of  the  ivory  traffic  with  the  Niam-niam,  as  well  as  for  the 
purpose  of  buying  supplies  for  the  people  during  expedi- 
tions which  often  last  six  or  seven  months,  huge  bars  of 
copper  and  beads  of  every  description  have  to  be  provided. 
These  are  dear,  on  account  of  the  commission  which  is  paid 
in  Alexandria.  The  bearers,  it  is  true,  are  subject  with  the 
submission  of  serfs  to  the  authorities  at  the  Seriba ;  but  as 
an  encouragement  to  them  in  their  work  they  can  claim 


IVOKY  TRADE. 


177 


a  stipulated  proportion  of  the  goods,  and  this  in  the  course 
of  the  year  constitutes  no  unimportant  addition  to  the 
outlay. 

Altogether  the  Upper  Nile  traffic  was  carried  on  at  great 
pecuniary  risk,  and  its  prospects  were  far  from  favourable. 
As  I  saw  it,  it  was  dependent  for  any  amount  of  success 
upon  the  plunder  which  was  made  alike  upon  cattle  and 
upon  men,  and  upon  the  levies  of  corn  and  provisions  which 
were  exacted  from  the  natives.  Without  the  aid  of  the 
Nubian  soldiers  the  expeditions  could  not  be  secure.  These 
soldiers  only  come  to  escape  the  rigorousness  of  the  Egyp- 
tian Government  in  their  own  land ;  they  participate  in  the 
profits,  and  yet  without  them  the  monopoly  could  not  be 
maintained.  The  Government  could  avail  nothing  to  protect 
a  legal  business;  neither  could  any  European  enterprise 
hope,  for  many  successive  years,  to  be  able  to  work  a 
profitable  trade. 

The  few  Europeans  who  ever  really  opened  transactions  in 
these  countries  did  indeed  pay  their  people  in  hard  cash, 
and  refused  to  have  anything  to  do  either  with  the  slave 
trade  or  cattle- stealing,  limiting  their  operations  exclusively 
to  the  purchase  of  ivory  and  to  elephant-hunting  in  the 
districts  adjacent  to  their  settlements.  Just  as  might  be 
expected,  however,  they  were  soon  compelled  to  withdraw 
from  their  undertaking — either  because,  on  the  one  hand, 
the  stock  of  ivory  in  their  immediate  vicinity  was  exhausted, 
or,  on  the  other,  because  they  found  that  they  could  not  com- 
pete with  the  native  firms,  who  were  backed  by  the  illegal 
means  I  have  mentioned.  Since  their  withdrawal,  no  new 
speculator  has  attempted  to  follow  in  their  steps;  and  as 
year  by  year  the  Khartoom  trade  loses  its  European  repre- 
sentatives, it  appears  as  though,  in  course  of  time,  the 
export  business  will  pass  out  of  European  hands.  Nothing 
will  prevent  this,  unless  some  important  modifications  should 
occur  in  the  southern  provinces  of  E.ijypt.     Sanguine  of 


178 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


success,  Ismail  Paslia  has  projected  the  formation  of  a  rail- 
way to  Khartoom ;  and,  considering  the  general  aspect  of 
affairs  as  I  have  related  them,  this  great  undertaking  de- 
serves the  unqualified  support  of  all  who  do  not  despair  of 
the  ultimate  victory  of  right. 

A  mere  slave  when  at  home,  Ghattas's  plenipotentiary, 
Idrees,  was  here  an  important  personage,  invested  with  abso- 
lute power,  and  swaggered  about  like  an  autocrat.  By  birth 
a  negro,  he  had  not  on  that  account  less  influence  over  the 
Nubians  than  any  other  official — for  it  is  not  according  to 
the  law  of  Islam  to  allow  national  enmity  to  be  antagonistic 
to  personal  rank.  I  was  received  with  all  the  courtesy  due  to 
my  credentials,  and  for  the  first  few  days  found  myself  lite- 
rally loaded  with  presents.  Provisions  of  every  sort  were 
placed  at  my  disposal,  whilst  my  people  had  free  board  for  a 
month  in  Idrees's  quarters.  Two  neatly-built  huts  of  mode- 
rate size,  within  the  palisade,  were  prepared  for  me,  but  these 
vvere  not  nearly  sufficient  to  accommodate  me  with  all  my 
baggage.  The  actual  Seriba,  about  200  paces  square,  was  so 
crammed  with  huts,  that  not  a  spot  could  be  discovered  where 
it  was  possible  to  erect  a  more  spacious  residence.  Outside 
the  enclosure,  where  the  buildings  were  more  scattered  over 
the  fields,  I  was  not  permitted  to  lodge.  I  was  told  how  it 
had  happened,  and  was  likely  to  happen  again,  that  the 
natives  skulked  about  at  night  and  murdered  people  in  their 
sleep.  This  statement  I  was  forced,  whether  I  would  or  not, 
to  accept,  and  temporarily,  at  all  events,  to  content  myself 
with  my  cramped  abode,  eighteen  feet  across. 

The  huts  are  built  of  bamboo  and  straw ;  the  conical  roof 
rests  on  a  kind  of  basket-work  of  bamboo,  which  is  daubed 
inside  with  clay,  in  a  way  that  is  imitated  from  the  almost 
petrified  erections  of  the  white  ants.  The  pagan  negroes 
lavish  far  more  care  upon  their  huts  than  the  Mohammedan 
inhabitants  of  the  Soudan,  who,  although  the  bamboo  grows 
80  abundantly  among  them,  do  not  succeed  in  giving  their 


ACCOMMODATION  IN  THE  SERIBA. 


179 


"  tokkuls "  nearly  so  much  symmetry.  Here  they  possess 
the  art  of  erecting  roofs  which  are  perfectly  water-ti^^ht,  and 
which  are  so  light  that  they  do  not  require  heavy  posts  to 
hold  them  together  on  the  walls.  The  covering  for  the  roof 
is  formed,  in  the  first  place  upon  the  ground,  with  handfuls  of 
stalks  laid  side  by  side  and  knotted  together.  These  are 
afterwards  plaited  into  long  strips,  which  are  then  laid  one 
above  the  other,  like  the  flounces  of  a  lady's  dress — a  compa- 
rison which  is  further  the  more  appropriate,  because  the  struc- 
ture of  the  frame-work  is  exactly  like  a  hooped  petticoat. 

I  would  not  allow  the  walls  of  the  tokkul,  in  which  I  gene- 
rally passed  my  time,  to  be  cemented  with  clay,  partly 
because  I  liked  the  airiness  of  the  basket-work,  and  partly 
because  light  was  necessary  for  my  daily  occupations.  There 
seemed  to  me  two  other  advantages — first,  on  dry  days,  my 
goods  would  more  rapidly  recover  the  effect  of  the  wet  to 
which  they  had  been  exposed ;  and,  secondly,  I  should  be  less 
plagued  with  rats  than  those  who  occupied  the  plastered  huts. 
In  stormy  weather,  it  is  true,  I  had  to  suffer  a  certain  amount 
of  discomfort.  To  increase  my  storage-room  I  contrived 
some  shelves  and  stands  out  of  bamboo-canes;  I  had  also 
brought  from  Khartoom  some  deal  planks,  expressly  for  the 
manufacture  of  the  tables  which  were  necessary  for  my  bota- 
nical pursuits.  A  traveller  who  is  in  possession  of  bamboos, 
cow-hide,  bladder,  and  clay,  will  find  himself  not  very  inade- 
quately supplied  with  representatives  of  nearly  all  the  build- 
ing materials  of  Europe. 

My  excursions  about  the  neighbourhood  soon  began,  and 
these,  with  the  arrangement  of  my  daily  collections,  occupied 
the  greater  part  of  my  time.  In  unfailing  good  health,  I 
passed  the  first  few  weeks  in  a  transport  of  joy,  literally 
enraptured  by  the  unrivalled  loveliness  of  nature.  The  early 
rains  had  commenced,  and  were  clothing  all  the  park-like 
scenery,  meadows,  trees,  and  shrubs,  with  the  verdure  of 
spring.     Emulating  the  tulips  and  hyacinths  of  our  own 


180 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


gardens,  sprang  up  everywhere  splendid  bulbous  plants; 
whilst  amongst  the  fresh  foliage  gleamed  blossoms  of  the 
gayest  hue.  The  April  rains  are  not  continuous,  but  never- 
theless, trees  and  underwood  were  all  in  bloom,  and  the  grass 
was  like  a  lawn  for  smoothness.  In  Tropical  Africa,  after 
long  continuance  of  rain,  the  grass  may  be  considered  more 
as  a  defect  than  an  ornament  in  the  landscape :  the  obstruc- 
tions which  it  interposes  to  the  view  of  the  traveller  consider- 
ably mar  his  enjoyment  of  the  scenery ;  but  throughout  the 
period  of  the  early  rains  its  growth  is  remarkably  slow,  and 
it  takes  some  months  to  attain  a  height  sufficient  to  conceal 
the  numerous  flowering  weeds  and  bulbs  which  display  their 
blossoms  at  the  same  season. 

The  territory  of  the  Dinka  includes  nearly  the  whole  low 
ground,  extending  right  away  to  the  Gazelle.  It  is  a  vast 
plain  of  dark  alluvial  clay,  of  which  the  uniformity  is  not 
broken  by  a  single  hill  or  mass  of  rock,  any  tracts  of  forest 
being  of  very  limited  extent.  As  they  approach  the  districts 
of  the  Bongo  and  the  Dyoor,  the  Dinka  steppes  lose  much  of 
that  park-like  aspect  which  they  here  present.  Indeed,  very 
marked  is  the  contrast  in  the  character  of  the  scenery  which 
appears  on  entering  those  districts ;  for  to  the  very  borders 
of  the  Dinka  reaches  that  enormous  table-land  of  ferruginous 
soil  which,  unbroken  except  by  gentle  undulations  or  by 
isolated  mounds  of  gneiss,  gradually  ascends  to  the  Equator. 
This  plain  appears  to  cover  the  greater  part  of  the  centre  of 
the  continent,  even  if  it  does  not  extend  as  far  as  Benguela 
and  the  shores  of  the  Niger.  From  my  own  experience,  I 
can  certify  that  the  general  geological  features  of  the  soil, 
as  exhibited  as  far  south  as  the  latitude  of  4°,  are  identical 
with  those  which  were  conspicuous  here,  where  the  latitude 
•was  between  7°  and  8°  N. 

At  the  end  of  a  fortnight  I  made  a  trip  to  the  south-east, 
the  first  of  a  series  of  excursions  to  Ghattas's  different  Seribas, 
which  lay  four  or  five  leagues  apart.    On  this  tour  I  learnt 


THE  RIVER  TONDY. 


181 


something  of  the  river  Tondy,  on  which,  is  established  the 
Seriba  known  as  Addai.  The  river  was  now  at  its  lowest 
level,  and  was  flowing  north-east  in  a  tolerably  rapid  current, 
between  precipitous  banks,  fifteen  feet  in  height.  In  depth 
it  varied  from  four  to  seven  feet,  and  it  was  about  thirty  feet 
in  breadth ;  in  the  rainy  season,  however,  for  three  miles, 
the  adjacent  steppes  are  covered  with  its  floods,  which  are 
always  very  prolific  in  fish.  Before  the  Tondy  joins  the 
Gazelle,  as  it  does  in  the  district  of  the  Nueir,  it  spreads 
irregularly  over  the  low-lying  country  and  leaves  its  shores 
quite  undefined.  In  this  way  it  forms  a  number  of  swamps, 
all  but  inaccessible,  to  which  the  Dinka,  whenever  they  are 
threatened  by  plundering  excursions  from  the  Seribas,  lose 
no  time  in  driving  their  herds. 

Although  the  Tondy  is  nearly  as  long  as  the  Dyoor,  it  is 
very  inferior  in  its  volume  of  water.  Like  several  of  the  less 
important  rivers  of  this  region,  it  flows  for  a  long  distance 
without  any  appreciable  increase  either  in  size  or  speed. 
These  streams  intersect  the  country  and  cut  it  up  into 
narrow  sections,  which  are  rarely  designated  on  the  maps. 

The  second  of  the  Seribas  which  I  visited  was  called  Geer, 
and  was  just  four  leagues  to  the  south  of  the  chief  settlement. 
It  was  surrounded  by  bamboo-jungles,  and  was  situated  in  a 
prolific  corn-valley,  watered  by  a  tributary  of  the  Tondy.  It 
contained  about  800  huts,  occupied  by  Bongo,  who  had  settled  • 
there. 

The  road  to  Geer^  nearly  all  the  way,  was  over  a  firm,  rocky 

soil,  through  bush  forests,  swarming  with  wart-hogs  (Phaco- 

chderus).   About  three-quarters  of  a  league  on  the  way,  stood 

a  dense  mass  of  lofty  trees,  not  unlike  an  alder  grove,  ft  was 

traversed  by  rain-courses,  and  surrounded  by  low  swampy 

steppes,  which  in  the  rainy  season  are  entirely  under  water. 

The  wood  consisted  mainly  of  tall  uncariae  and  eugeniae, 

80  feet  in  height,  of  which  the  long,  straight  stems  were 

crowned  by  spreading  foliage:  it  was  the  first  bit  of  the 
Vol.  I.— 14 


182 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


primaeval  forests  which  fill  up  the  valleys  through  which  flow 
the  rivers  of  the  Niam-niam.  I  paid  many  visits  to  this 
interesting  spot ;  by  the  people  in  the  Seriba  it  was  termed 
Genana,  the  Arabic  word  for  a  garden.  In  its  grateful  shade 
grew  dense  thickets  of  red-blossomed  melastomacese,  inter- 
mingled with  giant  aroidese  (AmorjphophaUus),  and  bowers 
of  creepers.  The  character  of  the  vegetation  was  in  striking 
contrast  to  the  other  forests  of  the  district,  and  for  the  first 
time  reminded  me  of  the  splendour  of  our  northern  woods — 
it  was  like  an  enclave  of  the  luxuriant  flora  of  West  Africa, 
transported  to  this  region  of  bushes  and  steppes. 

On  the  adjacent  plains  herds  of  giraffes  were  very  fre- 
quently seen.  To  bring  down  one  of  these  giraffes  was  a 
matter  of  but  little  difficulty.  They  pace  unconcernedly 
from  bush  to  bush,  taking  their  choice  amidst  the  varieties  of 
herbage,  and  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  it  required  half-a- 
dozen  shots  before  a  herd  of  nearly  twenty  could  be  started 
into  flight ;  but,  once  off,  there  was  no  gaining  upon  them, 
and,  like  the  fleetest  of  sailing-vessels,  they  disappeared  on 
the  horizon.  I  was  on  this  day  treated  to  the  rare  delicacy 
of  a  giraffe's  tongue ;  there  was  some  trouble  in  finding  a  dish 
on  which  it  could  be  served,  and  I  suppose  that  the  longest 
fish-platter  would  hardly  suffice  for  the  display  of  this  dainty. 
I  had  formerly  tasted  the  flesh  in  G-allabat,  and  as  I  had 
abundance  of  beef  in  the  Seriba,  the  carcase  was  distributed 
between  my  bearers.  Roast  giraffe  may  be  reckoned  amongst 
the  better  class  of  game,  and  is  not  unlike  veal. 

Greer  provides  the  whole  neighbourhood  with  bamboos. 
The  African  species  (Bamhusa  abyssinica)  seems  to  possess  a 
character  superior  to  what  ordinarily  belongs  elsewhere  to 
that  useful  product  of  the  tropics.  It  is  common  on  the 
lower  terraces  of  Abyssinia  and  in  all  the  rocky  parts  of  the 
Upper  Nile  district,  where  the  climate  is  sufficiently  moist ; 
it  is  found  generally  on  river  banks,  though  but  rarely  on  the 
open  steppes. 


FESTIVAL  AT  SEED-TIME. 


183 


The  canes  grow  to  a  height  of  thirty  or  forty  feet,  and  the 
stoutest  specimens  that  came  under  my  notice  were  between 
two  and  three  inches  in  diameter.  They  are  not  so  swollen 
at  the  joints  as  the  Chinese  and  Indian  sorts ;  but  this  is 
an  advantage,  since  they  are  more  easily  split.  Even  after 
repeated  boiling,  the  young  shoots  were  never  eatable. 

For  two  nights  and  a  day  whilst  I  was  in  Geer,  the  natives 
were  abandoning  themselves  to  their  wild  orgies,  which  now 
for  the  first  time  I  saw  in  their  full  unbridled  swing.  The 
festival  was  held  to  celebrate  the  sowing  of  the  crops ;  and 
confident  in  the  hope  that  the  coming  season  would  bring 
abundant  rains,  these  light-hearted  Bongo  anticipated  their 
harvest.  For  the  preparation  of  their  beer  they  encroached 
very  lavishly  on  their  present  corn  stores,  quite  indifferent  to 
the  fact  that  for  the  next  two  months  they  would  be  reduced 
to  the  necessity  of  grubbing  after  roots  and  devouring  any 
hance  bird  or  even  any  creeping  thing  that  might  come  in 
their  way.  Incredible  quantities  of  "  legyee  "  were  consumed, 
so  as  to  raise  the  party  to  tlie  degree  of  excitement  necessary 
for  so  prolonged  a  revel.  In  honour  of  the  occasion  there 
was  produced  a  large  array  of  musical  instruments,  a  detailed 
account  of  which  shall  be  given  hereafter,  but  the  confusion 
of  sound  beggared  the  racing  of  all  the  elements  and  made 
me  marvel  as  to  what  music  might  come  to.  They  danced 
till  their  bodies  reeked  again  with  the  oil  of  the  butter  tree. 
Had  they  been  made  of  india-rubber,  their  movements  could 
scarcely  have  been  more  elastic  ;  indeed,  their  skins  had  all 
the  appearance  of  gutta-percha.  The  whole  scene  was  more 
like  a  fantoccini  than  any  diversion  of  living  beings.  ^ 

By  the  end  of  April  the  vegetation  was  so  far  developed 
that  I  might  fairly  reckon  on  a  larger  botanical  collection  on 
a  longer  excursion.  Accordingly,  accompanied  by  my  ser- 
vants and  a  few  bearers,  I  set  out  towards  the  west,  designing 
to  visit  the  Seribas  belonging  to  Kurshook  Ali  and  Agahd, 
and  to  explore  the  Kiver  Dyoor.    I  was  everywhere  received 


184 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


most  hospitably,  and  thus  had  every  encouragement  to  make 
similar  trips  amongst  the  various  Seribas.  As  a  rule  I  did 
not  produce  my  letters  of  introduction  to  the  agerits  until  the 
second  day,  that  I  might  prove  whether  my  welcome  was  a 
mere  official  service,  or  was  accorded  freely  and  by  good-will. 
I  had  never  cause  to  complain:  the  agents,  one  and  all, 
showed  me  the  greatest  attention,  entertained  me  handsomely, 
Hud  placed  at  my  disposal  all  that  I  could  desire.  Their 
courtesy  went  so  far  that,  although  the  country  was  perfectly 
safe,  they  insisted  on  providing  me  with  a  guard  of  soldiers. 
In  addition  to  this,  the  local  governors  of  the  negro  villages 
always  escorted  my  little  caravan  from  stage  to  stage.  I 
found  that  the  whole  country  was  occupied,  at  intervals  of 
five  or  six  leagues,  with  settlements  of  the  Khartoomers,  in 
their  palisaded  Seribas.  The  inhabitants  interchange  their 
visits  as  freely  as  any  gentlemen  in  Europe. 

On  the  third  day  after  my  start  all  my  bearers,  who  had 
contracted  to  serve  me  for  a  sum  which  would  be  represented 
by  half-a-crown  a  day,  deserted ;  they  were  afraid,  perhaps 
not  without  cause,  that  their  burdens  of  pickings  and  pullings 
would  daily  increase.  This  little  incident,  for  which  I  was 
quite  prepared,  had  its  effect  on  the  remainder  of  my  journey. 
I  for  my  part  was  perfectly  agreeable  to  their  desertion, 
for  I  could  obtain  gratis  as  many  bearers  as  I  required. 
Of  course,  I  had  nothing  to  pay  the  runaways,  and  was  free 
from  all  charges  to  bearers  for  the  future.  In  this  I  had 
no  compunction,  knowing  that  I  had  every  right  to  claim  the 
same  assistance  and  courtesy  that  is  accorded  to  any  ordinary 
traveller  amongst  the  Khartoomers'  Seribas,  and  to  have  my 
baggage  conveyed  from  one  place  to  another. 

My  people  had  glorious  times  in  the  Seribas.  There  was 
mutton  without  stint ;  and  whole  animals  were  slaughtered 
even  for  my  dogs  :  to  my  hungry  Khartoomers  it  was  literally 
a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  Keserved  for  me  were 
ftll  that  they  considered  the  greatest  delicacies  tliat  Central 


ABOO  GUEOON. 


185 


Africa  could  produce,  and  in  the  way  of  fruit  and  vegetables 
I  could  not  catalogue  the  variety  that  was  served,  from  the 
sour  Pishamin  (Carjpodmus  acidus)  to  the  horse-bean  (Cana- 
valia). 

This  excursion  lasted  from  the  27th  of  April  to  the  13th 
of  May.  After  leaving  the  chief  Seriba  we  proceeded  for 
about  three  leagues  to  the  north-west,  and  arrived,  first,  at  the 
Seriba  owned  by  Abderahman  Aboo  Guroon.  In  1860  this 
spot  was  visited  by  the  Marquis  Antinori,  who,  in  spite  o! 
many  privations,  remained  there  throughout  an  entire  rainy 
season.  At  that  time  a  French  hunter,  Alexandre  Vayssiere, 
under  the  protection  of  the  Dyoor  chief,  Alwal,  with  whose 
sons  I  made  acquaintance,  had  founded  a  small  settlement. 
Vayssiere  himself,  to  whose  clever  pen  the  Revue  des  Deux 
Mondes  is  indebted  for  some  valuable  articles  on  Central 
Africa,  died  the  same  year  on  the  Gazelle  River,  falling 
a  victim  to  a  virulent  fever.  Aboo  Guroon  was  formerly  a 
servant  of  Petherick's,  and  had  faithfully  accompanied  that 
praiseworthy  traveller  in  his  earliest  endeavours  to  penetrate 
the  Bongo  country.  He  had  obtained  his  name,  Aboo  Guroon 
(father  of  horned- cattle),  from  his  noted  courage  and  love  of 
enterprise,  and  he  was  renowned  amongst  the  traders  as  the 
first  traveller  to  the  Niam-niam. 

The  governors  of  the  Seribas  and  the  leaders  of  the  Nubian 
expeditions  may  be  divided  into  two  classes :  of  these  the 
one  are  hypocritical  cowards,  always  saying  their  prayers, 
and  yet  always  tyrannical  to  their  subordinates ;  the  others 
are  avowed  robbers.  Far  preferable,  beyond  a  doubt,  are  the 
latter ;  they  treat  those  weaker  than  themselves  with  a 
certain  amount  of  generosity,  not  to  say  chivalry ;  to  this 
class  belonged  Aboo  Guroon.  Close  to  his  Seriba  we  had  to 
cross  the  Molmull  stream,  which  was  for  a  long  period  repre- 
sented on  maps  as  an  arm  of  the  Dyoor,  but  I  have  proved 
that  it  is  a  collateral  stream,  which  rises  in  southern  Bongo, 
land.    In  the  rainy  season  it  is  70  feet  wide,  and  is  only 


186 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


passable  by  swimming,  but  it  was  now  nothing  more  than 
a  series  of  pools,  the  intervals  of  which  were  marked  by 
patches  of  gneiss. 

Ten  leagues  further  west  flows  the  Dyoor.  Our  route  in 
that  direction  was  in  every  way  tiresome.  For  four  leagues 
and  a  half  we  traversed  a  barren  steppe,  without  being  able 
to  obtain  so  much  as  a  draught  of  water,  and  the  rough  clods 
of  clay  were  a  continual  impediment.  We  halted  for  the 
night  in  a  small  Seriba  of  Agahd's,  called  Dyoor-Awet.  Il 
lies  on  the  summit  of  the  watershed  between  the  Molmul] 
and  the  Dyoor,  and  from  the  hill  towards  the  west  an  exten- 
sive view  of  the  latter  river  is  obtained.  Being  still  somewhat 
of  a  novice  in  Central  African  travelling,  I  resolved,  in  order 
to  avoid  the  heat  of  the  day,  to  take  advantage  of  the  moon- 
light nights  for  proceeding  on  our  march.  In  the  dark, 
however,  my  guides  and  bearers,  inexperienced  in  their  work, 
lost  themselves  in  such  a  labyrinth  of  paths  that  we  were 
obliged  to  halt  in  an  open  meadow  and  make  inquiries  on  all 
sides  for  the  proper  route.  At  length  we  arrived  at  some 
little  enclosures  of  Deemo,  a  Dyoor  chief.  The  huts  were 
built  on  the  slope  of  a  small  eminence  of  hornblende,  a  for- 
mation that  I  never  noticed  elsewhere  to  the  south  of  the 
Gazelle  ;  it  extended  as  far  as  the  right  bank  of  the  Dyoor, 
which,  now  at  its  lowest  condition,  was  flowing  sluggishly 
towards  the  north  through  steppes  about  a  league  in  width. 

The  sandy  river-bed  was  bounded  by  clay  banks,  from  20  to 
25  feet  in  height,  the  entire  thickness  of  the  alluvium  of  the 
valley.  The  breadth  of  the  bed  at  this  spot  was  rather  more 
than  400  feet,  but  at  this  season  the  running  water  was 
reduced  to  80  feet  wide  and  4  feet  deep.  I  was  told  that 
a  few  days  previously  the  water  had  been  up  to  a  man's 
shoulder,  and  that  the  stream  would  not  now  fall  any  lower. 
Ten  days  later,  on  my  return,  I  crossed  the  river  about  three- 
quarters  of  a  league  to  the  south,  and  although  I  found  that 
the  whole  bed  was  covered,  yet  its  depth  was  not  above  three 


AN  APOSTKOPHP]. 


187 


or  four  feet.  Heuglin  had  crossed  the  Dyoor  at  a  spot  about 
20  miles  north  of  where  I  was,  and  on  the  8th  of  April  1803 
he  found  the  stream  about  300  paces  in  width,  with  a  depth 
varying  from  one  foot  to  three. 

Among  the  Bongo  and  Dyoor  alike,  the  river  goes  by  the 
name  of  "  Gueddy,"  whilst  the  Niam-niam,  in  whose  territory 
lies  the  whole  of  its  upper  course,  call  it  Sway."  It  is 
ascertained  to  be  one  of  the  more  important  tributaries  of  the 
system  of  the  White  Nile.  I  found  its  source  in  Mount 
Baginze,  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  Niam-niam  country, 
in  lat.  5°  35'  N.,  and  in  almost  the  same  longitude  as 
that  in  which  it  joins  the  Gazelle ;  its  main  course,  omitting 
the  smaller  windings,  extends  over  350  miles. 

As  we  were  wading  across  its  clear  waters,  my  servant, 
Mohammed  Ameen,  was  suddenly  attacked  by  a  sentimental  fit 
of  home-sickness.  He  has  been  mentioned  before  as  distin- 
guished by  the  nickname  of  "  the  swimmer,"  and  as  a  former 
Keis  he  was  always  more  interested  than  anybody  else  in  ^ 
river-systems  and  hydrographical  questions.  Stopping  mid- 
way in  the  channel,  as  though  lost  in  contemplation,  he 
suddenly  apostrophised  the  waters  :  Yonder  lies  Khartoom ; 
yonder  flows  the  Nile.  Pass  on,  0  stream,  pass  on  in  peace  ! 
and  bear  my  greeting  to  the  dear  old  Bahr-el-Nil !"  An 
Egyptian  would  have  been  too  stolid  to  be  moved  like  this 
son  of  Nubia. 

The  bush-ranges  on  the  opposite  shore  were  enlivened  by 
numerous  herds  of  hartebeests  and  leucotis  antelopes.  I 
hurried  on  in  advance  of  my  caravan,  hoping  to  enjoy  a  good 
chase,  but  my  attempt  only  resulted  in  a  circuitous  ramble 
and  in  extreme  fatigue.  It  was  not  until  the  middle  of  the 
day  that  I  rejoined  my  people  in  a  little  village  of  the  Dyoor, 
and  by  that  time,  inexperienced  as  I  was,  the  heat,  the  run- 
ning, and  the  fear  of  losing  my  way  had  conspired  almost  to 
deprive  me  of  the  use  of  my  senses.  The  numberless  herds 
that,  without  making  a  stand,  continually  scampered  across 


188 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


my  path,  still  further  increased  my  bewilderment.  I  was  far 
onwards  on  my  way  back  when  a  flock  of  domestic  goats, 
startled  by  the  apparition  of  a  stranger  came  running  athwart 
my  way.  They  were  of  a  reddish  colour,  and,  had  they  been 
in  the  midst  of  a  wilderness,  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  the 
little  bush  antelope  (A.  madoqua),  so  common  in  these  parts. 
I  was  just  about  to  send  a  last  despairing  shot  amongst  the 
harmless  creatures,  but  discovered  my  mistake  betimes. 
When  I  afterwards  related  my  adventure  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  my  people,  one  of  them  told  a  similar  anecdote  of  a 
previous  traveller,  who,  however,  had  actually  shot  a  goat, 
and  when  the  enraged  owner  insisted  upon  compensation, 
could  not  be  induced,  even  in  the  face  of  the  corj>us  delicti,  to 
acknowledge  his  error.  The  man  who  told  this  had  been 
an  eye-witness  of  the  affair,  and  described  in  the  liveliest 
manner  the  contest  that  liad  raged  over  the  zoological 
character  of  the  hapless  goat. 
t  Eather  more  than  a  league  from  the  Dyoor,  in  an  irregu- 

lar valley  sloping  towards  the  river  and  surrounded  by 
wooded  hills,  was  situated,  but  newly  built,  the  chief  settle- 
ment of  Kurshook  Ali.  Khalil,  the  aged  governor,  received 
me  most  kindly.  After  the  entire  destruction  of  the  former 
establishment  by  fire,  he  had  erected  in  its  place  quite  a  model 
Seriba.  This  is  depicted  in  the  background  of  the  accom- 
panying drawing.  In  front  is  a  majestic  khaya-tree,  which 
in  years  to  come  will  probably  be  the  sole  surviving  relic  in 
the  landscape.  Several  of  the  most  important  types  of  vege- 
tation are  also  represented :  on  the  left  are  the  large 
candelabra-euphorbia  and  borassus  palms,  and  on  the 
right  appear  the  little  gardenia  trees,  of  which  th,e  fruit 
resembles  the  wild  pear  or  the  crab-apple  ;  by  the  side  of 
these  are  two  deserted  white  ant-hills. 

Some  of  my  most  pleasant  reminiscences  of  African  life 
are  connected  with  this  spot.  Here  it  was  that,  two  years 
later,  after  experiencing  the  calamity  of  a  fire,  I  was  hospi- 


Uwtv^lty  of  IK^* 


FIRST  ACQUAINTANCE  WITH  NIAM-NIAM.  189 


tably  received,  and  passed  several  months  in  hunting  over 
the  well-stocked  environs.  In  no  other  Seriba  did  I  ever  see 
the  same  order  and  cleanliness.  The  store-houses  and  the 
governor's  dwelling  stood  alone  on  an  open  space  within  the 
palisade ;  around  the  exterior,  at  a  considerable  distance,  were 
ranged  the  huts  assigned  to  the  soldiers  and  other  dependants. 
The  unhealthiness  of  having  a  crowd  of  wretched  dwellings 
huddled  together,  the  contingent  danger  of  fire  amongst  so 
many  straw  huts,  and  the  disadvantageous  lack  of  space  in 
case  of  an  attack,  all  had  their  effect  in  inducing  Khalil  to 
make  these  innovations. 

On  my  arrival  I  was  surrounded  by  a  bevy  of  real  Niam- 
niam,*  who  had  been  conveyed  hither  by  an  expedition  lately 
returned  from  their  country.  They  stood  and  gaped  at  me 
and  my  belongings  with  far  more  curiosity  than  had  been 
evinced  by  the  stolid  natives  of  the  country.  Whilst  I  v^^as 
supposed  to  be  listening  to  the  performances  of  the  resident 
Bongo  on  the  guitar,  it  seemed  as  though  these  Niam-niam 
would  never  tire  of  examining  my  paraphernalia.  My  watch, 
breech-loader,  revolver,  my  clothes,  and  even  my  lucifer 
matches  had  to  be  scrutinised  separately.  Nothing  of  equal 
wonder  had  crossed  their  experience ;  and  what  with  my 
white  skin  and  my  appearance  altogether,  I  looked  to  them 
like  some  being  from  another  world. 

Amongst  the  acquaintances  that  I  made  here  I  must  not 
forget  to  mention  a  speculative  slave-trader  from  Tunis,  who 
was  now  making  a  second  journey  over  Darfoor.  He  could 
speak  a  little  French,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  every  one, 
he  could  read  the  names  upon  my  maps.  He  was  the  most 
i-efined  of  his  calibre  that  I  had  ever  met,  and  to  me  was 
a  sort  of  deus  ex  machind.  Whenever  I  saw  him  I  had 
always  a  vague  feeling  that  he  must  be  some  distinguished 
explorator  in  disguise — perhaps  a  Burton  or  a  Eohlfs.  Our 

*  The  word  Niam-ni-.m  has  the  Italian  pronunciation  of  '*  Gnamgnam.'* 


190 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


complexions  were  alike,  our  education  had  been  alike,  and 
so  in  these  distant  regions  we  met  like  fellow-countrymen. 
In  an  unguarded  moment  I  grasped  his  hand,  drew  him 
aside,  and  begged  him  privately  to  tell  me  who  he  was  and 
where  he  came  from.  His  loud  laugh  of  surprise  at  my 
inquiry  was  quite  enough,  and  in  an  instant  completely 
dispelled  any,  illusion  on  my  part. 

The  fact  of  meeting  a  slave-trader  from  Tunis  in  this  spot 
so  completely  remote  corroborates  the  imputation  of  an  un- 
expected extent  of  the  slave  trade  in  Africa.  This  polished 
Tunisian  was,  to  say  the  least,  in  many  respects  superior  to 
the  adventurers  who  ordinarily  come  from  Darfoor  and  Kor- 
dofan.  Of  them  nothing  can  be  said  too  bad.  They  pursue 
their  revolting  craft  under  every  pretext ;  coming  as  fakis  or 
priests,  they  make  their  iniquitous  exchanges  for  that  living 
ebony  which  consists  of  flesh  and  blood,  and,  altogether,  they 
are  as  coarse,  unprincipled,  and  villanous  a  set  as  imagination 
can  conceive. 

It  is  pleasant  to  turn  from  these  incarnations  of  human 
depravity  to  the  calm  undesecrated  quiet  of  the  wilderness 
around.  Two  leagues  to  the  west  brought  us  to  the  Wow, 
a  river  of  inferior  magnitude,  but  which  was  very  charming. 
Meandering  between  rocky  slopes,  overhung  with  a  rich  and 
luxuriant  foliage,  and  shadowed  at  intervals  by  stately  trees, 
after  a  few  miles  it  joins  the  Dyoor.  Its  bed,  at  its  full 
measure,  is  150  feet  wide ;  but  when  I  saw  it,  on  the  1st  of 
May,  it  exhibited  merely  two  little  rills  trickling  merrily 
over  a  rough  sandy  bottom.  In  proportion  to  its  size  it 
seemed  to  retain  in  the  dry  season  less  water  than  the  Dyoor. 
It  rises  in  the  heart  of  the  Niam-niam  country,  where  it  is 
called  the  Nomatilla ;  as  it  passes  through  the  Bongo  it  is 
termed  the  Haroy ;  whilst  just  above  its  confluence  with  the 
Dyoor,  to  which  it  contributes  about  a  third  of  its  volume, 
it  goes  by  the  name  of  the  Nyanahm.  It  divides  the  people 
of  the  Dyoor  into  the  two  tribes  of  the  Gony  and  the  Wow. 


THE  WOW  SERIBA. 


191 


On  the  banks  of  this,  stretched  beneath  a  noble  tree,  of 
which  the  age  far  exceeded  any  tradition  of  the  natives, 
I  enjoyed  a  noonday  lounge.  My  dogs  were  never  weary 
of  awakening  the  echoes  of  the  forest,  which  would  give 
repeated  answers  to  their  cries.  I  was  constrained  to  move 
on  by  the  people  who  had  come  out  to  welcome  me  from  the 
neighbouring  Seriba  of  Agahd,  known  simply  as  Wow,  at 
a  distance  of  a  league  and  a  half  to  the  west.  The  posses- 
sions of  Agahd's  company  in  this  district  are  much  scattered, 
and  are  interspersed  amidst  the  territories  belonging  to  other 
merchants.  Their  subordinate  settlements  extend  far  west 
into  the  lands  of  the  Kredy,  their  expeditions  reaching  even 
to  the  western  frontiers  of  the  Niam-niam. 

The  further  the  advance  towards  the  west  from  the  Dyoor, 
the  more  rapid  is  the  increase  in  the  level  of  the  country. 
The  ascent  indicates  the  progress  from  the  basin  of  the 
Gazelle  to  the  central  highland.  The  Wow  Seriba  occupied 
the  centre  of  a  gentle  valley  sloping  towards  the  west.  The 
bottofti  of  this  valley,  at  the  time  of  my  visit,  was  traversed 
by  a .  marshy  strip  of  meadow,  which,  in  the  rainy  season, 
forms  a  running  brook  that  flows  into  the  river.  A  steep 
descent  of  a  hundred  feet  bounds  the  valley  on  the  south- 
west. I  was  struck  by  the  richness  and  diversity  of  the 
foliage — a  peculiarity  in  this  part  of  Africa,  where  vegetation 
seems  very  much  to  run  to  wood,  and  develops  itself  in 
bushes  and  in  trees. 

Of  the  trees  which  adorn  the  hanging  rocks  I  may  men- 
tion a  few  which  are  remarkable  on  account  of  their  fruit. 
The  GoU  of  the  Bongo  bears  pods  which,  in  appearance  and 
in  flavour,  resemble  those  of  the  St.  John's  Bread,  and  on 
that  account  the  Nubians,  who  use  the  skins  as  tan,  call  it 
the  Caroob.  Its  wood,  like  palisander,  is  carved  by  the 
natives  into  pretty  stools  and  benches.  Then  there  was  the 
Oncoba,  from  which  are  made  the  little  round  tobacco-boxes, 
known  in  the  Arabian  trade  on  the  Eed  Sea  ;  and  there  was 


192 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  Strychnos  edulis,  of  which  the  fruit  is  not  unlike  a  pome- 
granate, containing  an  edible  pulp  inclosed  in  a  brittle  woody 
shell.  Together  with  these  grew  the  Ximenia,  a  shrub 
common  to  the  tropics  of  both  hemispheres.  The  blossoms 
of  this  emit  a  soft  fragrance  as  of  orange  flowers,  and  it  bears 
a  round  yellow  fruit  about  the  size  of  a  cherry,  which  is 
about  as  sour  as  anything  in  nature.  The  flavour  is  like 
a  citron,  and  the  soft  nut-like  kernel  is  eaten  with  the  juicy 
pulp.  Several  kinds  of  sycamore,  apparently  of  the  Egyp- 
tian species,  bear  edible  figs,  but  they  are  poor  and  insipid. 
A  beverage  refreshing  as  lemonade  is  prepared  from  the 
great  creeper  carpodinus.  This  plant  is  well  known  in  the 
Guinea  trade  for  its  produce  of  caoutchouc.  Its  globular 
fruit  (the  sour  pishamin  of  the  colonists)  contains  a  large 
number  of  kernels  embedded  in  a  fibrous  pulp  ;  its  sourness  ex- 
ceeds that  of  the  citron.  The  sarcocephalus,  the  wild  original 
of  the  species  that  is  cultivated  in  Guinea,  does  not  here 
grow  larger  than  a  peach ;  in  shape  and  colour  it  may  be 
compared  to  a  strawberry,  though  in  flavour  it  resembles  an 
apple :  eaten  to  excess  it  acts  as  an  emetic.  The  white 
flowers  of  this  Kubiacea  smell  like  orange-blossoms.  The 
pericarp  of  the  cordyla  contains  a  green  honey-pulp,  and 
that  of  the  detarium  a  sweetish  yellow  powder.  Many 
species  of  vitex  bear  an  olive-like  fruit  with  a  sweet 
aromatic  flavour;  and  spondias  offer  great  tempting  plums 
of  a  bright  yellow,  which,  however,  leave  a  harshness  in  the 
throat.  The  ripe  berries  of  the  widely  diffused  vangueria 
taste  like  gingerbread,  and  this  peculiarity,  in  a  certain 
sense,  belongs  to  nearly  all  the  edible  fruits  of  Central 
Africa :  whatever  is  not  sour  and  astringent,  like  unripe 
gooseberries,  is  somewhat  sweet  and  dry  to  the  tongue. 
With  the  exception  of  the  plantain  (Musa  sa^pientium) ,  which 
has  every  claim  to  be  considered  a  native  of  Equatorial 
Africa,  all  other  fruits  are  either  sour  and  grating  on  the 
palate,  or  they  are  sweet  with  an  after  sensation  of  dryness. 


BUFFALO-HUNTING. 


193 


The  most  perfect  examples  of  each  of  these  are  the  pishamiii 
and  the  date ;  intermediate  to  them  both  is  the  tamarind. 

On  account  of  the  numerous  gnats  and  gadflies  on  the 
west  of  the  Dyoor,  cattle-breeding  suddenly  ceases,  and  even 
in  the  Seribas  there  are  found  only  a  few  sheep  and  goats. 
On  the  other  hand,  wild  buffaloes,  after  being  entirely 
missing  for  a  long  way  to  the  east  of  the  river,  now  re-appear. 
We  had  not  come  across  any  since  we  entered  the  region 
of  the  Gazelle,  and  the  first  that  we  now  saw  were  on  the 
southern  frontier  of  the  Bongo  territory.  Only  one  kind  of 
buffalo  is  known  in  this  part  of  Africa,  but  the  difference  in 
the  formation  of  their  horns  is  so  remarkable  that  cows  and 
bulls  appear  quite  like  two  distinct  animals.  In  the  bulls 
the  roots  of  the  horns  meet  at  the  top  of  the  head,  and  cover 
the  whole  of  the  forehead,  whilst  in  the  cows  they  are  sepa- 
rated by  nearly  the  entire  width  of  the  brow.  The  habit  of 
this  animal  is  different  from  what  is  ordinarily  found  else- 
where ;  for  in  these  regions  buffalo-hunting  is  considered  by 
no  means  a  dangerous  sport.  After  my  recent  experience 
on  the  White  Nile  I  was  surprised  to  find  so  many  ready, 
without  hesitation,  to  accompany  me  to  the  chase.  For  my- 
self I  had  rather  a  dread  of  the  animal,  as  my  predecessor, 
Herr  von  Harnier,  had  fallen  a  victim  to  a  wild  buffalo, 
which  had  mutilated  his  body  to  such  a  degree  that  it  could 
not  be  recognised. 

On  the  morning  after  my  arrival  I  had  the  luck  to  surprise 
a  small  herd  in  a  swamp.  They  immediately  took  to  flight, 
with  the  exception  of  two,  a  cow  and  her  calf,  which  looked 
about,  astonished,  after  their  disturber.  1  and  my  companion 
fired  simultaneously,  and  we  should  have  secured  the  sucking 
calf,  if  the  swamp  had  not  been  in  our  way. 

In  flavour,  the  best  parts  of  the  buffalo-meat  almost  rival 
that  of  a  fattened  ox :  it  is  tougher  and  more  stringy,  but,  in 
spite  of  everything,  it  is  juicy  and  palatable.  The  flesh  ol 
the  tame  species  of  southern  Europe  is,  on  the  contrary. 


194 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


worse  than  camel's  flesh,  and  may  indeed  be  pronounced 
uneatable. 

Gladly  I  should  have  extended  my  tour  westward,  to  the 
Kosanga  mountain,  and  as  far  as  the  Seribas  of  Zebehr, 
Bizelli,  and  some  others.  The  agents  were  always  courteous, 
and,  unencumbered,  I  could  easily  have  accomplished  my 
desire ;  but  my  botanical  collection  had  largely  increased, 
and  my  supply  of  paper  was  exhausted,  so  that  I  was  con- 
strained to  give  up  my  project,  and  to  return.  The  rapid 
development  of  vegetation,  moreover,  warned  me  that  I  ought 
to  be  back  at  my  quarters  in  Ghattas's  Seriba  before  the 
beginning  of  the  rains,  so  that  for  the  whole  of  the  season, 
after  they  had  decidedly  set  in,  I  might  concentrate  my- 
energies  on  the  investigations  which  were  the  proper  purpose 
of  my  journey.  Accordingly,  after  exploring  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  Wow,  I  returned  at  once  to  Kurshook  Ali  s 
Seriba,  where  I  spent  a  few  more  days  in  some  brief  excursions. 

Dense  still  were  the  woods  around  the  settlement,  although 
Khalil,  in  order  to  obtain  arable  land,  was  daily  thinning 
them  by  fire.  The  small  depth  of  soil  in  these  parts,  often 
barely  a  foot,  is  one  of  the  causes  of  the  instability  of  the 
dwellings  which  are  run  up  on  it,  and  which  are  also  liable 
to  destruction  from  worms  above  and  from  white  ants  below. 
When  the  inhabitants  are  compelled  to  rebuild,  they  prefer 
to  settle  on  fresh  territory — they  choose  virgin  soil,  and 
hence  it  arises  that  not  only  the  villages  of  the  natives,  but 
even  whole  settlements  of  the  Nubians,  are  continually 
changing  their  sites.  Every  place  bears  the  name  of  the 
native  chief;  when  he  dies,  therefore,  the  former  name 
falls  into  oblivion.  In  consequence  of  this,  it  becomes  very 
difficult  to  fix  on  the  maps  names  and  localities,  which  can 
rarely  be  permanent  beyond  a  period  of  at  most  ten  years. 
The  only  enduring  landmarks  are  afforded  by  the  water- 
courses :  ages  pass  on,  and  these  change  but  little  as  they 
fulfil  their  function  in  the  economy  of  nature. 


THE  HARTEBEEST. 


195 


The  environs  of  Kursliook  Ali's  Seriba  abound  in  every 
variety  of  game.  Genets,  civets,  zebra-ichneumons,  wart- 
hogs  (Phacochoerus),  wild  pigs,  cats,  lynxes,  servals,  caracals, 
and  the  large  family  of  the  antelopes,  all  find  here  their  home. 

In  this  neighbourhood  I  killed  my  first  hartebeest  and 
a  leucotis  antelope.  The  hartebeest  (Antilope  caama)  is 
common  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  continent,  and 
varies  in  its  form,  its  colour,  and  the  shape  of  its  horns, 
according  to  sex,  age,  and  adventitious  circumstances.  In 
zoological  collections  two  specimens  are  rarely  seen  exactly 
like  one  another.*     Called     karia "  by  the  Bongo  and 


Central  African  Hartebeest. 


"songoro"  by  the  Niam-niam,  the  hartebeest  is  the  most 
frequent  of  all  the  larger  game.  It  is  generally  found  in  small 
herds,  varying  in  number  from  five  to  ten,  its  haunts  being 
chiefly  uninhabited  tracts  of  wilderness.  In  the  cultivated 
districts  it  prefers  the  light  bush  forests  in  the  vicinity  of 
rivers,  though  it  is  never  seen  actually  in  the  ri-3r  valleys. 
It  takes  its  midday  rest  by  standing  motionless  against  the 

*  It  may  not  be  superfluous  to  give  a  picture  of  an  old  buck,  nor  to  remark 
that  the  females  also  liave  horns. 
Vol.  I.— 15 


196 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


trunks  of  trees;  and  by  its  similarity  in  hue  to  the  background 
which  it  chooses,  it  often  eludes  all  observation.  Throughout 
the  rainy  season  its  colour  is  bright — a  sort  of  yellow-brown, 
with  a  belly  nearly  white ;  but  in  the  winter  it  tones  down 
to  a  dullish  grey.  With  the  exception  of  the  leucotis,  its 
flesh  is  the  best  eating  of  any  game  in  the  country. 

The  leucotis  antelope  *  is  the  species  that  congregates  in 


Leucotis  Antelope  (male). 


the  largest  number  in  any  of  the  districts  that  have  been 
hitherto  explored.  In  the  dry  season  they  are  often  seen  in 
the  wadys  in  large  herds,  varying  from  100  to  300  head; 
during  the  rains  they  resort  to  the  more  elevated  forests. 
That  is  their  pairing  time,  and  they  divide  into  smaller 
groups.  These  graceful  animals  have  the  same  habit  as  the 
South  African  spring-bok;  running  at  full  speed,  with 
outspanned  legs,  they  often  bound  four  and  five  feet  high, 
and  jump  clean  over  one  another.  The  female,  which  has  no 
horns,  in  colour  and  size  very  much  resembles  the  yalo 
{A,  arundinacea),  but  it  can  be  easily  distinguished  by  the 
hair  on  the  metatarsus  being  black,  while  in  the  yalo  it  is 
grey.   • 

*  Separate  illustrations  are  given  of  the  male  and  female. 


WATERPOOLS  IN  THE  RED  ROCK. 


197 


Throughout  the  whole  of  this  neighbourhood  are  numerous 
plains  of  ferruginous  swamp-ore ;  only  in  the  rainy  seasons, 
when  the  rainfall  is  at  its  height,  are  these  covered  at  all 
with  grass,  which  at  its  best,  compared  to  the  luxuriant  vege- 


Leucotis  Antelope  (female). 

tation  around,  is  a  meagre  down,  hardly  equal  to  our  poorest 
pasture  lands.  On  this  plateau  the  rains  of  March  and  April 
begin  to  fill  the  numerous  clefts  and  chasms ;  the  pools  thus 
formed  contain  a  variety  of  interesting  water-plants,  which 
disappear  completely  when  the  waters  again  subside.  Where- 
ever  the  red  rock  is  exposed,  its  surface  is  adorned  by  the 
rosy  blossoms  of  the  dianthera,  a  species  of  capparis,  which 
here  supplies  the  place  of  our  viscous  catch-fly  and  cuckoo- 
flower. Nowhere  in  the  exuberant  tropics  are  we  more 
•  vividly  reminded  of  our  own  scenery  than  in  such  spots  as 
these,  where,  on  the  edge  of  woody  precipices  and  surrounded 
by  the  smiling  green  of  the  sward,  gleam  these  gay  patches 
of  dianthera.  The  naked  stone  covered  by  a  low  detached 
overgrowth,  in  picturesque  grouping,  rivalled  all  that  I  had 
ever  seen.  The  gardenia  trees  fill  the  air  with  the  fragrance 
as  of  a  bower  of  orange  blossoms  and  jasmine. 

The  month  of  May  here,  as  in  Europe,  is  a  month  of 
flowers,  amongst  which  the  world  of  butterflies  pass  their 
ephemeral  existence.    As  a  rule,  these  lepidoptera  were  not 


198 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


larger  nor  more  diversified  in  form  and  colour  than  the  Euro- 
pean, but,  in  their  aggregate,  they  were  full  of  beauty.  The 
dews  of  night  were  not  sufficient  for  their  thirst,  and  in 
motley  masses  they  assembled  round  every  puddle  to  enjoy 
the  precious  moisture.  By  a  skilful  swing  of  the  butterfly- 
net  I  could  catch  a  hundred  at  a  time.  They  continue  to 
swarm  in  this  way  till  the  beginning  of  July.  At  times  I 
saw  them  thronging  all  amongst  the  foliage,  and  giving  to 
many  a  plant  the  appearance  of  being  covered  with  the  most 
variegated  blossoms ;  the  bare  rock,  though  destitute  of  vege- 
tation, became  as  charming  as  a  blooming  meadow.  The 
quantities  of  butterflies  in  this  district  are  very  large  in  com- 
parison to  what  are  found  in  the  northern  regions  of  Africa  at 
this  season. 

Two  leagues  to  the  south  of  the  new  Seriba  was  the  site  of 
the  one  which  had  been  burnt.  But  few  vestiges  remained, 
for  nature  here  soon  effaces  what  fire  may  have  spared.  The 
only  surviving  evidence  of  its  ever  having  been  the  resort  of 
men  was  a  thriving  grove  of  plantains  (Musa  sapientum). 
The  shoots  had  been  introduced  from  the  Niam-niam  lands.  In 
the  meagre  households  of  the  Nubians,  fruits  and  vegetables 
are  hardly  considered  necessaries ;  indolence  and  distaste  for 
work  cause  the  gardens  to  be  much  neglected.  By  my  own 
experience,  I  have  found  that  all  garden  produce  of  the 
southern  regions  can  be  cultivated  here  at  the  outlay  of  very 
little  attention.  The  plantain  bears  fruit  within  eighteen 
months  of  its  first  sprouting. 

Copious  is  the  river  as  it  flows  by  the  place,  shaded 
by  magnificent  afzelia,  filaea,  and  syzygium.  The  im- 
penetrable jungles  of  bamboo,  .which  extend  on  either 
side,  are  the  abode  of  a  large  number  of  bear-baboons.  It 
was  in  vain  that  for  some  hours  I  pursued  one  after  another 
of  these  bellowiug  brutes :  immediately  they  became  aware 
of  my  approach,  they  were  knowing  enough  to  quit  their  ex-  , 
posed  positions  on  the  trees  and  conceal  themselves  amidst 


THE  RAPHIA  VINIFERA. 


199 


the  waving  grass.  The  jungle  swarmed,  too,  with  great  wart- 
hogs  (Phacoch^riis),  which  appear  as  ineradicable  as  the  wild 
boars  of  Europe.  The  chase  of  these  had  small  attraction 
for  me,  aware  as  I  was  of  the  extreme  unsavouriness  of  their 
flesh. 

On  my  way  back  to  the  Seriba  I  made  a  slight  detour,  in 
order  to  visit  the  village  of  the  Dyoor  chief  Okale.  This 
lies  to  the  east,  upon  a  small  stream,  the  banks  of  which  are 
shadowed  by  some  splendid  woods  that  display  the  glories  of 
the  Niam-niam  wilderness.  It  was  like  an  enclave  of  the  south 
transported  to  the  bushwoods  of  the  north.  I  looked  here 
that  I  might  discover  the  palm-tree,  which  the  Khartoomers 
call  the  Nakhl-el-Faraoon  (or  Pharaoh's  date-palm),  and  of 
which  they  had  given  a  wonderful  description  that  roused  my 
curiosity.  I  soon  satisfied  myself  that  they  really  meant  the 
Raj)hia  vinifera,  which  grows  far  and  wide  throughout  tropical 
Africa,  although  probably,  in  this  direction,  this  may  be  its 
limit.  A  considerable  number  of  the  trees  and  plants  charac- 
teristic of  the  Niam-niam  lands  occurred  to  me  in  my  rambles, 
and  amongst  them  the  blippo  (Gardenia  malleifera),  with  the 
inky  sap  of  which  the  Niam-niam  and  the  Monbuttoo  delight 
to  dye  themselves. 

Whether  we  advanced  through  villages  or  hamlets,  we 
always  found  the  overseers  in  their  full  state.  Their  official 
costume  was  everywhere  a  long  chintz  shirt.  From  their 
sparkling  eyes  beamed  forth  the  delight  with  which  they 
regarded  my  appearance,  doubtless  to  them  singular  enough. 
Most  readily  they  admitted  me  to  every  corner  of  their 
households,  whence  I  procured  one  curiosity  after  another,  and 
what  I  could  not  carry  away  I  copied  into  my  sketch-book. 

Although  I  could  not  manage,  in  the  course  of  an  ex- 
cursion not  occupying  three  weeks,  to  traverse  the  entire 
district  of  the  Dyoor,  I  nevertheless  very  much  increased 
my  familiarity  with  their  habits,  of  which  I  will  conclude 
this  chapter  with  a  concise  account. 


200 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Dyoor  is  a  name  assigned  by  the  Dinka,  and  is  synonymous 
with  men  of  the  woods,  or  wild  men.  This  designation  is  a 
name  of  contempt,  and  is  intended  to  imply  the  condition 
of  poverty,  in  which,  according  to  Dinka  ideas,  the  Dyoor 
spend  their  existence.  Of  course,  it  refers  to  their  giving 
their  sole  attention  to  agriculture,  to  their  few  goats  and 
poultry,  and  to  their  disregard  of  property  in  cattle.  They 
speak  of  themselves  as  Lwoh.  They  use  the  Shillook 
dialect  unaltered  except  in  a  few  expressions  which  they 
have  adopted,  and  are  anxious  to  claim  a  northern  origin, 
specifying  their  progenitors  as  0-Shwolo,  or  Shillooks.  The 
area  of  their  territory  is  quite  small,  and  their  number 
cannot  exceed  20,000  souls. 

On  the  north  they  are  bounded  by  the  numerically  large 
tribe  of  the  Dembo  and  some  smaller  kindred  clans.  Eighty 
miles  to  the  south  of  them,  but  separated  by  the  entire  width 
of  the  Bongo  country,  reside  the  Belanda,  a  tribe  of  which 
the  customs  are  modified  by  their  intercourse  with  the  Bongo, 
but  which  still  make  use,  with  very  minor  differences,  of  the 
Shillook  dialect.  These  Belanda  are  partly  under  the  sur- 
veillance of  the  Niam-niam  king  Solongho,  and  partly  tribu- 
tary to  the  intruders  from  Khartoom. 

The  chequered  map  of  Africa  suggests  to  every  reflective 
mind  many  considerations  as  to  how  any  advance  in  civilisa- 
tion can  be  possible.  There  is  an  utter  want  of  wholesome 
intercourse  between  race  and  race.  For  any  member  of  a 
tribe  which  speaks  one  dialect  to  cross  the  borders  of  a  tribe 
that  speaks  another  is  to  make  a  venture  at  the  hazard  of 
his  life.  Districts  there  are,  otherwise  prosperous  in  every 
way,  which  become  over-populated,  and  from  these  there  are 
emigrations,  which  entail  a  change  of  pursuits,  so  that  cattle- 
breeders  become  agriculturists  and  agriculturists  become 
hunters  living  on  the  chase ;  districts  again  there  are  which 
shelter  the  remnant  of  a  people  who  are  resisting  oppression 
to  the  very  verge  of  despair ;  and  there  are  districts,  more- 


DYOOR  DECORATIONS. 


201 


over,  which  have  been  actually  reduced  to  a  condition  of 
vassalage  and  servitude ;  but  the  case  is  here  altogether 
without  example  of  a  district 'which,  whatever  be  its  other 
fluctuations,  has  ever  submitted  to  a  change  of  race  or  of 
tongue. 

Former  travellers,  although  they  have  found  their  way  to 
the  Dyoor  without  concerning  themselves  with  the  origin 
of  the  people,  appear  to  have  made  the  observation  that 
their  complexion  is  a  shade  lighter  than  that  of  the  Dinka. 
For  my  part  I  am  convinced  that  this  is  so ;  not  that  I 
should  feel  justified  in  insisting  upon  this  token  as  showing 
a  difference  between  Dinka  and  Shillooks.  Probably,  the 
colour  of  the  skin  of  the  Dyoor  loses  something  of  its  darker 
hue  from  their  living  in  the  shadows  of  their  woodlands; 
but  this  is  a  question  which  involves  meteorological  and 
geographical  considerations  which  are  beyond  our  grasp. 

In  spite  of  their  intercourse  for  many  years,  and  their 
partial  dependence  upon  the  Dinka,  the  Dyoor  have  not 
departed  from  the  Shillook  mode  of  decorating  themselves. 
Just  on  the  extreme  borders  a  few  may  every  now  and  then 
be  found  imitating  the  radial  stripes  upon  the  foreheads; 
but  it  is  quite  uncommon  for  either  sex  to  tattoo  themselves. 
Neither  does  their  daily  familiarity  with  the  Nubians  induce 
them  to  adopt  a  modest  dress.  They  only  wear  round  the 
back  of  their  loins  a  short  covering  of  leather,  some- 
thing like  the  skirts  of  an  ordinary  frock  coat ;  a  calfskin 
answers  this  purpose  best,  of  which  they  make  two  tails  to 
hang  down  behind.  Anything  like  the  decorations  of  the 
hair  which  have  excited  our  wonder  amongst  the  Shillook 
and  the  Dinka  is  here  totally  rejected,  and  the  Dyoor,  men 
and  women  alike,  have  their  hair  close  cropped. 

The  favourite  ornaments  of  the  men  very  much  resemble 
those  of  the  Dinka,  consisting  of  a  collection  of  iron  rings 
below  the  elbow  and  a  huge  ivory  ring  above  the  elbow. 
One  decoration  peculiar  to  themselves  consists  of  some 


202 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


heavy  circlets  of  molten  brass,  which  are  very  elaborately 
engraved.  Brass,  as  known  amongst  the  people,  is  called 
**damara,"  and  is  about  thrice  the  value  of  copper;  it 
had  been  introduced  into  their  traffic  long  before  the  arrival 
of  any  Khartoomers,  having  been  brought  as  an  article  of 


Brass  Ornaments  of  the  Dyoor. 


commerce  by  the  Dembo,  who,  as  neighbours  of  the  Baggara, 
were  led  into  business  relations  alike  with  Kordofan  and 
Darfoor  on  the  one  hand,  and  with  the  northern  negroes  on 
the  other.  Our  fine  metals,  one  and  all,  were  quite  unknown 
amongst  them. 

Their  women,  too,  in  hardly  any  respect  differ  from  the 
Dinka  women ;  like  them  burdening  the  wrists  and  ankles 
with  a  cluster  of  rings.  Very  frequently  one  great  iron  ring 
is  thrust  through  the  nose,  the  hole  to  admit  it  being  bored 
indifferently  through  the  base,  the  bridge,  or  the  nostrils. 
The  rims  of  the  ears  also  are  pierced  to  carry  an  indefinite 
number  of  rings.  These  deformities  are  especially  charac- 
teristic of  the  Bellanda,  who  sometimes  attach  to  their  nose 
a  dozen  rings  at  once. 

One  of  the  iron  decorations  which  is  most  admired,  and 
which  is  found  far  away  right  into  the  heart  of  Africa,  I  first 
saw  her§  amongst  tlie  Dyoor ;  I  mean  the  iron  beads  or  per- 


GLASS  BEADS. 


203 


forated  little  cylinders  of  iron,  strung  together.  These 
have  some  historical  interest  attached  to  them  in  connection 
with  the  development  of  trade  in  Africa,  arising  from  the  fact 
that  they  were  earlier  in  use  than  glass  beads,  to  which  they 
must  be  compared.  Glass  beads,  obviously,  were  only  brought 
into  the  market  after  it  had  been  proved  that  the  natives 
would  be  willing  to  wear  ornaments  like  in  form  but  of  a 
lighter  material  than  the  hard  metal  which  they  were  wont 
to  forge  into  shape  piece  by  piece.  The  Japanese  and  other 
inhabitants  of  Eastern  Asia  are  known  to  trick  themselves 


Portrait  of  a  Dyoor. 


out  in  steel  beads,  thus  evidencing  their  long  exclusion  from 
all  intercourse  with  Europe.    In  the  Soudan  these  strings  of 


204  THE  HEAET  OF  AFKICA. 


beads  were  principally  made  at  "Wandala,  and  Barth  has 
specially  noticed  them  at  Marghi.  Every  tribe  which  I 
visited  in  proceeding  inland  from  the  Gazelle  I  found  to 
retain  the  preference  for  beads  made  of  iron. 

The  derivation  of  the  stock  from  a  negro  race  of  the  nobler 
kind,  and  one  which  has  a  small  development  of  jaw,  such  as 
the  Shillook,  may  be  fairly  understood  from  the  accompanying 
portrait.  The  sitting  figure  is  a  likeness  which  I  took  at  my 
leisure  of  one  of  my  bearers.  I  thought  it  would  illustrate 
the  graceful  slimness  of  the  limbs,  which  nevertheless  are  all 
in  due  proportion.  It  may  serve,  too,  in  a  degree  to  exem- 
plify the  appropriateness  of  the  expression  "  swamp-man," 
which  I  have  several  times  employed,  and  moreover  may  help 
to  justify  the  comparison  which  has  likened  them  to  a  bird. 


Portrait  of  a  Dyoor. 


In  recent  times  they  have  lost  some  of  their  ancient  habits. 
For  instance,  the  practice  of  mutual  spitting,  which  was  long 


SPEAR-HEADS  AND  SPADES. 


205 


the  ordinary  mode  of  salutation,  has  fallen  into  desuetude. 
Throughout  the  entire  period  of  my  residence  in  Africa  I 
was  never  a  witness  of  it  more  than  three  times :  and  in  all 
these  cases  .the  spitting  betokened  the  most  affectionate 
goodwill ;  it  was  a  pledge  of  attachment,  an  oath  of  fidelity  ; 
it  was  to  their  mind  the  proper  way  of  giving  solemnity  to  a 
league  of  friendship. 

The  spot  which  the  Dyoor  inhabit  is  the  inferior  terrace  of 
the  ferruginous  formation  in  the  district.  The  consequence 
is  that  they  are  quite  at  home  with  all  iron  work.  The 
Dinka,  although  they  do  not  settle  down  close  to  them, 
because  of  the  hostility  of  the  Bongo,  yet  are  glad  to  wel- 
come the  Dyoor,  in  order  to  avail  themselves  of  their  aid  in 
getting  at  the  iron,  which  would  otherwise  be  unsecured.  It 


Spear  Head. 


might  almost  be  said  that  every  Dyoor  is  a  smith  by  profes- 
sion. The  result  of  their  toil,  however,  does  not  so  much 
find  its  way  to  the  underground  stores  of  the  Dinka  as  to 
the  magazines  of  the  Khartoom  merchants. 


Dyoor  Spade. 


The  accustomed  shape  in  which  the  raw  material  is  used 
as  a  medium  of  exchange  is  in  spear  heads*  or  in  spades. 

*  The  spear-heads,  as  represented  in  tlie  engraving,  are  about  three-quarters 
of  a  yard  in  length. 


206 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Throughout  the  whole  district  of  the  Upper  Nile  these 
answer  all  the  purpose  of  our  current  coin.  Although  the 
superficial  veins  of  iron  ore,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  do  not 
differ  much  in  their  appearance,  there  are  only  certain 
localities  which  produce  an  ore  that,  under  the  primitive 
mode  of  smelting,  yields  a  remunerative  supply  of  genuine 
metal.  One  of  these  prolific  veins  is  found  in  the  proximity 
of  Kurshook  All's  Seriba.  With  a  perseverance  for  which  1 
could  not  have  given  them  credit,  the  natives  have  dug  out 
trenches  some  ten  feet  deep,  from  which  they  have  obtained 
a  material  very  like  our  roe-stone.  Considerable  quantities 
of  red  ochre  are  discovered,  but  they  are  not  turned  to  any 
account,  through  ignorance  of  a  proper  way  of  manipulation. 

Just  before  the  commencement  of  seed-time,  in  March, 
the  Dyoor  make  a  general  move  away  from  their  huts,  partly 
for  the  purpose  of  dragging  the  rivers  for  fish,  and  partly  to 
busy  themselves  with  iron-smelting  in  the  woods.  In  the 
shaded  centre  of  a  very  wooded  spot  they  construct  their 
furnaces  of  common  clay,  making  them  in  groups,  sometimes 
as  many  as  a  dozen,  according  to  the  number  of  the  party. 
Their  wives  and  children  accompany  them,  and  carry  all 
their  movables.  In  the  midst  of  the  wilderness,  otherwise 
so  desolate,  they  form  a  singular  picture.  The  stems  of  the 
trees  gleam  again  with  their  lances  and  harpoons ;  on  the 
branches "  hang  the  stout  bows  ready  for  the  buffalo  hunt ; 
everywhere  are  seen  the  draw-nets,  hand-nets,  snares  and 
creels,  and  other  fishing-tackle.  There  is  a  mingled  collec- 
tion of  household  effects,  consisting  of  gourd-shells,  baskets, 
dried  fish  and  crocodile,  game,  horns,  and  hides.  On  the 
ground  lie  piles  of  coals,  of  ore,  of  cinders,  and  of  dross. 
Petherick,  the  first  explorer  of  this  Dyoor  district,  has  given 
a  very  accurate  account  of  their  primitive  method  of  smelt- 
ing iron,  so  that  I  may  be  repeating  in  a  degree  what  has 
been  related  before :  many  things,  however,  there  are  which 
appeared  to  me  under  a  somewhat  different  aspect. 


DYOOR  SMELTING  FURNACE. 


207 


The  smelting-furnace  is  a  cone,  not  more  than  four  feet 
high,  widening  at  the  top  into  a  great  goblet  shape.  So 
little  deviation  was  there  in  the  form  of  any  that  I  saw  that 
all  s6emed  to  me  to  be  erected  on  precisely  the  same  model. 
One  obstacle  to  the  construction  of  larger  furnaces  is  the 
extreme  difficulty  oi  preventing  the  mass  of  clay  from 
cracking  in  the  process  of  drying.  The  cup-shaped  aperture 
at  the  top  communicates  by  a  very  small  throat  with  the 
cavity  below,  which  is  entirely  filled  with  carbons.  Into  the 
upper  receiver  are  thrown  fragments  of  ore,  of  about  a  solid 
inch,  till  it  is  full.  The  hollow  tunnel  extends  lower  than 
the  level  of  the  ground ;  and  the  melted  mass  of  iron,  find- 
ing its  way  through  the  red-hot  fuel,  collects  below  in  a  pile 
of  slag.  At  the  base  there  are  four  openings :  one  of  these  is 
much  larger  than  the  others,  and  is  used  for  the  removal 
of  the  scoriae ;  the  other  three  are  to  admit  the  long  tewel- 
irons,  which  reach  to  the  middle  of  the  bottom,  and  keep 
the  apertures  free  for  the  admission  of  air.  Without  stoking. 


Dyoor  Smelting-furnace. 


the  openings  would  very  soon  become  blocked  up  with  slag. 
In  reply  to  my  inquiry  I  was  told  that  bellow  s  are  never 
employed ;  it  was  said  that  too  fierce  a  fire  was  injurious, 
and  caused  a  loss  of  metal.    A  period  of  a  day  and  a  half,  or 


208 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


about  forty  hours,  is  requisite  to  secure  the  product  of  one 
kindling.  Wiien  the  flames  have  penetrated  right  through 
the  mass  of  ore  until  they  rise  above  it,  the  burning  is 
presumed  to  be  satisfactory. 

Amongst  the  Bongo  the  furnaces  are  different,  being 
generally  constructed  in  three  compartments,  and  fitted  with 
bellows.    They  also  place  layers  of  ore  and  fuel  alternately. 

The  deposit  of  metal  and  fuel  is  heated  a  second  time, 
and  the  heavy  portion,  which  is  detached  in  little  leaflets 
and  granules,  is  once  more  subjected  to  fire  in  crucibles  of 
clay.  The  particles,  red-hot,  are  beaten  together  by  a  great 
stone  into  one  compact  mass,  and,  by  repeated  hammering, 
are  made  to  throw  off  their  final  dross.  Nearly  half  of  the 
true  metal  is  scattered  about  during  the  progress  of  the 
smelting,  and  would  be  entirely  lost  if  it  were  not  secured 
by  the  natives.  In  regard  to  its  homogeneousness  and  its 
malleability,  the  iron  procured  in  this  way  is  quite  equal  to 
the  best  forged  iron  of  our  country. 

The  Dyoor  and  the  Bongo  appear  almost  equally  ignorant 
about  charcoal-burning.  They  understand  very  little  about 
the  exclusion  of  air  from  the  furnaces,  or  of  burning  their 
wood  in  piles :  their  science  seems  limited  to  the  combustion 
of  small  fragments  heaped  up  over  one  another  till  the  fire 
below  them  is  choked,  or  subdued  by  pouring  water  upon  the 
top.  I  am  not  aware  whether  the  other  negroes  have 
mastered  the  secret  of  charcoal-making ;  but  if  what  has 
been  said  about  the  Dyoor  holds  good  about  Africa  in 
general,  it  accounts  at  once  for  the  remarkable  fact  that  in 
spite  of  the  abundance  of  the  crude  material,  iron  w,  so  little 
employed.  There  is  a  universal  absence  of  lime,  so  that 
stone  erections  are  quite  unknown. 

If  a  comparison  might  be  instituted,  I  should  say  that  in 
Africa  iron  might  be  estimated  to  have  a  value  about  equi- 
valent to  copper  with  us,  whilst  the  worth  of  copper  would 
correspond  to  that  of  silver. 


TIm  Ubrit7 

•f  the 


DYOOR  HUTS. 


209 


For  fifteen  years  iuive  the  Nubians  now  been  brought  into 
contact  with  this  region,  but  they  have  never  taught  the 
natives  either  the  way  of  making  bricks  or  any  intelligent 
conception  of  the  use  of  charcoal.  Themselves  too  lazy  to 
improve  the  treasures  which  a  bountiful  Nature  has  flung 
amongst  them,  they  are  too  idle  and  too  indifferent  to  stimu- 
late even  the  people  they  have  subjugated  to  put  forth  any 
energy  at  all.  And  this  is  but  one  proof  out  of  many  of  the 
demoralising  tendency  of  Islamism,  which  would  ever  give  a 
retrograde  movement  to  all  civilisation. 

Throughout  Africa  I  have  never  come  across  a  tribe  that 
has  not  adopted  a  mode  of  building  huts  which,  alike  with 
respect  to  exterior  and  interior,  is  not  peculiar  to  itself. 
The  huts  of  the  Dyoor  do  not  resemble  the  mushroom  shapes 
of  the  Shillooks,  nor  are  they  like  the  substantial  huts  of  the 
Dinka,  massive  and  distinguished  by  small  outbuildings  and 
porches.  Again,  they  could  not  for  a  moment  be  mistaken 
to  be  dwellings  of  the  Bongo,  because  they  have  no  straw 
projections  about  the  top  of  the  roof.  In  a  general  way 
they  are  a  yet  more  simple  and  unadorned  construction— not 
that  they  ar6  destitute  of  that  neat  symmetry  which  seems 
to  belong  to  all  negro  dwellings.  The  roof  is  a  simple 
pyramid  of  straw,  of  which  the  section  is  an  equilateral 
triangle,  the  substructure  being  all  of  wickerwork,  either 
of  wood  or  bamboo,  and  cemented  with  clay. 

Inside  every  hut  there  is  a  large  receptacle  for  storing 
whatever  corn  or  other  provision  is  necessary  for  the  house- 
liold.  These  are  made  of  wickerwork,  and  have  a  shape  like 
great  bottles.  To  protect  them  against  the  rats,  which  never 
fail  to  carry  on  their  depredations,  they  are  most  carefully 
overdaubed  with  thick  clay.  They  occupy  a  very  large  pro- 
portion of  the  open  space  in  the  interior  ;  very  often 
they  are  six  or  seven  feet  in  height,  and  sometimes  are 
made  from  a  compound  of  chopped  stubble  and  mud.  After 

the  huts  have  been  abandoned,  and  all  else  has  fallen  into 
Vol.  I.— 16 


210 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


decay,  these  very  frequently  survive,  and  present  the  appear- 
ance of  a  bake-oven  gone  to  ruin.  In  the  Arabic  of  the 
Soudan  this  erection  is  called  a  "  googah."  It  is  derived 
from  the  Dinka ;  the  huts  of  the  Bongo  and  the  Niam-niam 
having  nothing  of  the  sort,  because  they  build  detached 
granaries  for  their  corn. 

The  picture  which  is  here  introduced  is  a  representation 
of  the  rural  pursuits  of  this  peaceful  tribe.  It  is  presumed 
to  be  winter  time,  when,  for  some  months  to  come,  no  rain 
is  to  be  expected.  It  may  be  taken*  as  illustrating  what 
might  be  witnessed  at  any  time  between  October  and  April. 
The  tall  erections  adjacent  to  the  huts  contain  the  various 
grain  requisite  for  the  next  seed  time,  and  may  be  supposed 
to  be  full  of  the  sorghum,  the  maize,  and  the  gourd.*  It  is 
better  to  let  these  be  exposed  to  the  sun  rather  than  to  run 
the  risk  of  having  them  devoured  by  rats  or  vermin  in  the 
huts.  Underneath  these  structures  the  goats  are  hid ;  besides 
these,  dogs  and  some  poultry  are  the  only  domestic  animals 
they  keep. 

The  open  space  in  front  of  the  huts  consists  of  a  plain, 
most  carefully  levelled  by  treading  it  down.  Upon  this  floor, 
which  is  perfectly  hard,  the  corn  is  winnowed ;  and  it  serves 
as  a  common  area  for  all  domestic  purposes.  In  front  of  the 
huts,  too,  sunk  to  some  depth  below  the  ground,  there  is 
a  great  wooden  mortar,  in  which  the  corn,  after  it  has  been 
first  pounded  by  the  primitive  African  method  of  stones,  is 
reduced  to  a  fine  meal  by  rubbing  with  the  hands.  The 
Dinka  also  use  these  sunken  mortars,  which  are  hewn  out 
of  some  hard  wood;  but  the  Bongo  and  Niam-niam  carry 
with  them  movable  mortars  of  a  smaller  size. 

To  the  right  may  be  observed  a  man,  who  is  collecting  iron 
ore,  and  one  of  the  wicker  baskets  which  belong  to  the 


*  The  Dyoor  cultivate  very  nearly  tlie  same  crops  as  the  Bongo,  and  these 
will  be  described  with  reference  to  tliat  people. 


DYOOR  PURSUITS.  211 

reserve  of  corn.  Great  gongs  hang  upon  the  posts  towards 
the  left,  and  some  of  the  massive  bows,  of  which  the  strings 
are  ready  stretched  by  a  billet  to  serve  as  snares.  This 
artifice  is  employed  by  several  of  the  people  of  this  district 
to  facilitate  their  chase  of  the  wild  buffaloes.  Very  strong 
straps  of  hide  are  strained  across  the  tall  grass  of  the  low- 
lands, where  the  buffaloes  congregate.  One  end  is  fastened 
either  to  a  tree  or  to  a  peg  driven  into  the  ground,  the  other 
end  attached  to  the  bow.  This  forms  a  kind  of  noose  which, 
through  the  rebound  of  the  billet,  tightens  itself  about  the 
legs  of  the  buffalo  when  it  strains  it.  The  startled  beast 
makes  a  bound,  and  is  immediately  fettered.  The  hunters, 
who  had  been  lying  in  wait,  seize  this  moment  and,  with  their 
lances,  strike  at  the  prey,  which,  if  not  utterly  entangled, 
is  sure  by  the  bow  to  be  obstructed  in  its  running.  Tn  a 
similar  way  all  the  larger  antelopes  are  captured,  especially 
the  powerful  eland,  at  which  it  is  hard  to  get,  even  after  it 
has  been  driven  to  the  marshy  levels. 

Good  large  families  have  the  Dyoor  ;  and  were  it  not  that 
the  Nubians  come  upon  the  land,  and  every  year  carry  off  at 
least  half  the  corn  that  is  grown,  there  would  long  ago  have 
been,  as  with  their  kindred  on  the  White  Nile,  a  dense 
Dyoor  population.  They  partake  also  of  the  skilfulness  of 
the  Shillooks  in  obtaining  resources  for  livelihood  in  various 
ways :  they  pursue  the  chase,  they  practise  fishing  when  they 
have  the  chance;  they  are  industrious  in  tillage;  they 
thoroughly  appreciate  the  value  of  cattle,  and  would  like  to 
possess  it,  although  in  their  new  settlement  they  can  boast 
little  more  than  a  few  kids  and  goats.  To  have  a  well- 
stocked  poultry-yard,  and  to  possess  that  friend  of  man,  a 
good  dog,  is  essential  to  the  satisfaction  of  a  Dyoor  house- 
hold. Upon  these  the  attention  of  the  men  is  centred,  and 
on  these  they  make  their  largest  outlay.  If  they  escape 
servitude  to  the  Nubians,  and  are  not  obliged  to  turn  porters 
to  convey  their  burdens,  or  builders  to  erect  their  dwellings^ 


212 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


they  employ  themselves  with  their  fishing  and  hunting,  or  in 
practising  the  art  of  Tubal  Cain.  Labour  in  the  fields  is  all 
done  by  the  women,  upon  whom  also  falls  the  entire  domes- 
tic superintendence  as  well  as  the  actual  work  of  the  house ; 
they  make  all  the  wickerwork  and  do  all  the  manipulation 
of  the  clay ;  they  trample  down  the  level  floor  and  mould 
the  vessels  of  every  size.  It  is  remarkable  how  they  manage 
with  the  mere  hand  to  turn  out  immense  vessels  which,  even 
to  a  critical  eye,  have  all  the  appearance  of  being  made  on 
a  wheel.  In  order  to  render  a  clay  floor  perfectly  level  and 
free  from  cracks  they  work  in  a  very  original  way.  They 
procure  from  the  w^oods  a  piece  of  tough  bark,  about  three 
feet  long ;  they  then  kneel  down  upon  the  clay,  and  per- 
severe in  patting  it  with  their  pieces  of  bark  till  they  make 
the  surface  of  the  soil  as  smooth  as  though  it  had  been  rolled. 
In  a  very  similar  way  they  prepare  the  graves  for  their  dead, 
which  they  arrange  very  close  to  their  huts.  A  circular 
mound,  some  three  or  four  feet  high,  indicates  the  situation  of 
the  last  resting-place  of  a  Dyoor  so  long  as  the  violence  of  the 
rain  allows  it  to  retain  its  shape  ;  but  a  very  few  years  suffice 
to  obliterate  the  final  vestiges  of  these  transient  memorials. 

Aff'ection  for  parents  and  for  children  is  developed  amongst 
the  Dyoor  much  more  decidedly  than  in  any  othei*  Central 
African  tribe  which  I  have  known.  In  a  way  that  I  have 
not  observed  among  other  pagan  negroes,  they  place  their 
infants  in  long  baskets  that  answer  tlie  purpose  of  cradles. 
There  is  a  kind  of  affection  which  even  brutes  can  display  to 
their  offspring  as  well  as  human  beings.  In  the  very  lowest 
grades  of  human  society  there  is  ever  a  kind  of  bond  which 
lasts  for  life  between  mother  and  child,  although  the  father 
may  be  a  stranger  to  it.  Such,  to  say  the  least,  is  the  mea- 
sure of  affection  which  the  Dyoor  show  to  their  little  ones. 
Nor  is  this  all ;  they  have  a  reverence  for  age ;  and  in  every 
hamlet  there  are  grey  hea  ls  amongst  them. 


CHAPTER  YI. 


Laying  out  a  garden  a  VEurop^enne.  Hunting  adventure  with  a  bastard 
Gems-bok.  Death  of  Arslan,  Physiognomy  of  the  vegetation.  .Character 
of  the  soil.  Geography  of  plants.  Destruction  of  a  Seriba  by  natives. 
Seriba  law.  Cattle-raids  on  the  Dinka.  Tour  round  Ghattas's  Seribas, 
Geography  at  Geer.  Fish  of  the  Tondy.  Fear  of  ghosts  in  Koolongo. 
Caves  of  Gubbehee.  Central  African  jackal.  Bamboos  in  blossom. 
Triumph  of  Nature  over  her  traducers.  Joint-stock  distillery  in  Gurfala, 
Nubian  love  of  drink,  Petherick's  Mundo,  Unsuccessful  chase  in  the  long 
grass.  Two  bush-antelopes.  Cultivated  plants  of  the  district.  Cereals. 
Large  growth  of  sorghum.  Leguminous  fruits.  Oily  fruits.  Tubers. 
Vegetables.    Tobacco.    Smoking  in  Africa. 

I  WAS  again  in  Ghattas's  Seriba  on  the  13th  of  May.  The 
arrival  of  an  ivory  caravan  on  its  return  journey  had  brought 
an  unwonted  animation.  But  for  me  very  soon  the  ordinary 
routine  of  life  came  back,  and  one  day  passed  on  just  like 
another  in  the  closest  intercourse  with  Nature.  Except 
during  some  temporary  excursions  to  the  Bongo,  this  Seriba 
would  be  my  residence  for  some  months  to  come,  and  I  set 
to  work  to  make  my  quarters  as  comfortable  as  I  could  in  a 
good-sized  hut  which  had  been  vacated  for  me. 

The  first  thing  I  did  was  to  lay  out  a  large  vegetable 
garden,  a  task  which  engaged  not  only  all  my  own  people, 
but  gave  occupation  to  not  a  few  of  the  black  slaves  of  the 
place.  I  had  not  only  brought  with  me  a  good  supply  of 
pickaxes  and  spades,  but  I  had  likewise  a  capital  collection 
of  seeds.  Thus  I  hoped  at  once  to  provide  for  my  own 
necessities,  and  to  prove  to  the  natives  the  productiveness  of 
their  soil.  The  plot  of  ground  was  nearly  200  paces  square, 
and  the  next  thing  was  to  enclose  it  with  a  hedge  of  straw, 


214 


THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 


and  to  lay  it  out  with  a  series  of  parallel  beds.  The  larger 
number  of  these  beds  I  planted  with  the  best  sorts  of  maize, 
of  which  I  had  procured  the  original  ears  from  New  Jersey. 

Seventy  days  after  sowing  I  reaped  the  crop,  and  the  in- 
gathering did  not  simply  answer  my  highest  expectations, 
but  surpassed  in  quality  the  original  stock ;  the  kinds  which 
seemed  to  succeed  best  being  those  which  after  they  are  dry 
are  horny  and  transparent. 

Tobacco  from  Maryland  grew  to  an  immense  height,  and 
I  gathered  several  hundredweights  of  it.  There  was  not 
altogether  so  much  of  a  deficiency  of  tobacco  in  the  country 
as  of  the  larger  leaves,  of  which  use  could  be  made  for  rolling 
into  cigars.  In  Egypt  the  Virginian  tobacco  can  be  made 
to  grow  leaves  as  large  as  the  palm  of  one's  hand,  but  in 
the  negro  districts  the  whole  produce  is  quite  diminutive, 
Negroes  always  sow  tobacco  under  cover  before  they  plant  if, 
out ;  the  midday  sun  of  Central  Africa  is  too  powerful  for 
the  seed,  which  infallibly  perishes  in  a  parched  soil.  I  had 
always  to  guard  against  the  same  difficulty  with  all  my 
European  vegetables,  especially  in  July,  or  at  other  times, 
when  five  or  six  days  without  a  drop  of  rain  would  come  in 
succession,  and  I  only  saved  my  young  sprouts  by  having 
water  brought  twice  a  day  by  the  women  in  their  great 
pitchers.  Worms  did  a  vast  amount  of  mischief  amongst  the 
germinating  seeds,  and  no  devastator  was  more  destructive 
than  the  great  millipede  (Sj)irostrejptus),  which,  as  long  and 
thick  as  my  finger,  penetrated  the  soil  in  every  direction. 
The  havoc  made  in  this  way  amongst  the  beans  before  they 
were  set  was  very  considerable. 

The  hard,  yet  fertile  soil,  I  feel  certain,  is  quite  suited  for 
our  cucumbers,  cabbage,  turnip-cabbage,  and  radishes.  Of 
radishes,  the  European  sort  succeeds  better  than  the  Egyp- 
tian, which  belongs  to  quite  an  anomalous  variety.  Melons 
and  water-melons  can  only  be  ripened  during  the  winter 
months,  when  they  are  artificially  protected  and  supplied 


GARDEN  VEGETABLES. 


215 


with  moisture.  Any  attempt  to  grow  them  in  the  rainy 
season  always  results  in  failure ;  either  the  fruit  is  eaten  by 
worms  long  before  it  is  mature,  or  the  leaves  are  devoured 
by  grubs.  Here,  too,  1  trained  some  tomatoes  and  sunflowers, 
which  ever  since  have  been  quite  naturalised  in  this  part  of 
Africa.  Had  my  sojourn  been  longer,  I  should  have  made 
an  attempt  at  establishing  the  plantain,  of  which  indeed  I 
saw  some  isolated  plants  now  and  then  in  the  Seriba.  This 
is  a  natural  production  of  the  land  of  the  Niam-niam ;  it 
would  doubtless  thrive  here,  but  the  indolence  of  the  Nubians 
is  so  great,  and  their  indifference  towards  all  produce  that 
must  be  gained  by  toil  is  so  indomitable,  that  garden  culture 
amongst  them  remains  fitful  and  unprogressive. 

When  I  had  seen  all  the  labours  of  the  kitchen-garden 
complete,  I  was  free  to  abandon  myself  to  the  full  delights 
of  the  flora.  Up  with  the  sun,  I  used  to  take  one  or  two  of 
my  people  with  me  to  carry  my  portfolios  and  my  arms,  and 
in  the  safe  proximity  of  the  Seriba  I  explored  the  woods  for 
hours  together,  returning  about  noon  with  a  whole  treasury 
of  floral  wealth.  My  table  at  meals  never  failed  to  be  well 
supplied,  and  I  was  treated  as  bountifully  as  in  Africa  I 
could  be.  I  enjoyed  sitting  in  the  shade  of  some  spreading 
•tree,  while  I  proceeded  to  analyse,  to  classify,  and  to  register, 
the  various  novelties  which  I  was  perpetually  finding.  Later 
in  the  day  I  was  in  the  habit  of  wandering  out  alone  over 
the  plains,  whilst  my  servants  at  home  busied  themselves  in 
renewing  the  paper  for  my  hortus  siccus,  and  in  pressing  out 
the  plants  afresh.  This  labour  of  the  day  was  often  carried 
on  till  quite  late  at  night :  it  was  repeated  so  often  that  my 
collection  increased  to  a  very  considerable  extent ;  roll  was 
piled  up  after  roll ;  everything  most  carefully  stitched  up  in 
hides  ready  to  go  along  with  me  on  my  farther  journey,  and 
to  be  carried  across  deserts  and  seas  until  they  could  finally 
be  deposited  in  the  magazines  of  science. 

One  of  these  rambles  into  the  woods  led  to  a  singular 


216 


THE  HEART  OF  AFKICA. 


hunting  adventure,  which  could  only  occur  in  Central  Africa. 
I  had  been  sitting  crouclied  up  for  half  an  hour  or  more 
under  the  shade  of  a  butter-tree,  in  the  midst  of  some  tall 
grass,  and,  engaged  in  the  dissection  of  my  plants,  I  had  quite 
forgotten  where  I  was.  My  three  attendants  were  enjoying, 
as  they  were  accustomed,  a  peaceful  doze  ;  stillness  reigned 
so  supreme  in  the  solitude  that  one  could  almost  hear  the 
tread  of  every  emmet  on  the  soil,  as  backwards  and  forwards 
it  hurried  to  the  laboratory  within  its  hill.  All  at  once  a 
huge  shadow  came  in  sight,  and  looking  up  I  saw,  just  within 
pistol-range,  the  great  form  of  a  buck  antelope.  I  was  struck 
as  much  with  admiration  as  with  surprise :  the  creature  had 
seemed  to  come  suddenly  from  the  earth.  My  heart  fluttered 
at  the  apparition,  but  I  could  not  be  otherwise  than  sensible 
of  its  beauty.  It  was  a  specimen  of  the  bastard  gems-bok 
(Aniilope  leueojohwa).  Except  on  the  belly,  which  was 
white,  its  long  hair  was  all  of  a  brownish  grey.  It  carried  its 
head  erect ;  its  ears  w^ere  long  and  pointed ;  its  horns  mas- 
sive and  very  long ;  its  black  legs  going  off  into  white  fet- 
locks. A  stiff  mane  of  bright  brown  crested  its  curved  neck, 
and  reached  to  its  withers.  It  had  a  tail  like  the  giraffe,  with 
which  it  wisped  off  the  flies — a  tuft  of  hair  of  about  nine 
inches  in  length  appended  to  a  long  slim  stem.  There  it 
stood,  majestically,  I  might  say,  like  a  stately  buffalo  when 
it  surveys  the  region  all  around  before  it  trusts  itself  to  feed. 
There  it  stood,  in  an  attitude  at  once  commanding  and  de- 
fiant. Whenever  it  moved  the  grass  crackled  beneath  its 
tread,  and  ere  long  it  shifted  its  place  again  and  turned 
its  full  face  towards  me.  I  cautiously  reached  out  my  hand 
for  a  rifle  that  was  lying  near  me,  pushed  back  the  guard, 
and,  at  the  next  movement  of  the  beast,  hit  it  with  a  ball 
right  upon  the  shoulder-blade  from  a  distance  of  about 
twenty  paces.  The  creature  reared  itself  up,  then  paused 
an  instant,  staggered,  and  let  its  head  sink  down  as  if  amazed. 
I  was  just  about  to  get  hold  of  a  second  rifle  when  there  came 


BASTARD  GEMSBOK. 


217 


a  sudden  crash,  and,  while  I  was  still  sitting,  the  animal  had 
talleii  just  beyond  the  open  portfolio  which  was  lying  out- 
spread before  me.  Fortune  had  thus  cast  the  noble  prey 
right  into  my  clutches. 


Central  African  Bastard  Gemsbok  {Antilope  levcophwa) 


The  sound  of  the  rifle  had  hardly  aroused  my  people,  for 
this  is  a  country  where  a  stray  shot  does  not  attract  atten- 
tion for  an  instant  ;  but  my  shout  of  surprise  and  delight 
brought  them  quickly  to  their  feet.  Some  negroes  were 
soon  fetched  from  the  neighbouring  huts,  who  quickly 
completed  the  work  of  flaying  and  jointing  the  prey.  Its 
head  alone  weighed  35  pounds.  The  natives  informed  me 
that  the  Mahnya  (as  the  Bongo  call  this  species  of  antelope) 
are  among  the  rarest  animals  of  the  district,  although  they 
live  as  much  in  one  quarter  as  another.  They  are  ordinarily 
found  singly  and  far  separate  from  any  other  of  their  kindred 
race ;  and  it  is  said  that  the  largest  of  them  will  assail  a 
huntsman,  and  are  as  furious  when  angry  as  a  wild  buffalo. 

For  a  long  time  I  was  sorely  depressed  by  the  loss  of  my 
trusty  Arslan,  who  had  been  with  me  ever  since  I  left 
Berlin  and  had  reached  the  remote  wilderness.    He  had 


218 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


accompanied  me  through  all  the  hardships  of  travel ;  and 
here  I  hoped  that  all  dangers  were  passed,  and  now  that 
the  heat  of  the  desert  and  the  privations  of  water  had  been 
overcome,  I  had  no  fear  of  losing  him ;  but  he  sank  a 
victim  to  the  treachery  of  the  climate.  My  dog  had  seemed 
to  me  almost  the  last  link  that  bound  me  to  my  home,  and 
wlien  I  lost  him  I  felt  as  though  a  bridge  had  been  broken 
down  which  connected  me  with  my  ^native  soil.  It  would 
have  been  a  grief  to  me  to  lose  my  dog  anywhere,  but  to 
lose  hini  here  was  doubly  sorrowful — here,  amongst  cir- 
cumstances where  he  more  than  ever  replaced  the  lack  of  a 
friend. 

Nature,  pure  and  free,  must  ever  be  a  great  consoler 
amidst  all  the  disappointments  of  life.  The  stillness  and 
peace  of  the  plant-world  brought  ease  to  my  troubled  mind. 
To  that  world,  as  I  turned  then,  I  may  be  permitted  to 
return  now. 

Nothing  could  more  completely  witness  to  the  great 
variety  of  vegetation  in  my  immediate  neighbourhood  than 
the  fact  that  during  my  residence  of  five  months  I  made 
a  collection  of  almost  700  flowering  plants,  which  I  duly 
classified.  It  would  not  be  possible  in  Europe  during  a 
whole  year  to  gather  so  large  a  number  if  one  were  limited 
to  the  environs  of  a  single  town.  From  my  own  experience 
I  am  satisfied  that,  notwithstanding  all  means  of  inter- 
communication, it  would  be  beyond  the  power  of  a  botanist 
to  secure  anything  like  500  species  in  an  entire  season. 
This  would  arise  very  much  from  his  having  to  change  his 
position,  and  from  the  varying  time  at  which  plants  come 
into  bloom :  but  here,  in  the  land  of  the  Dyoor  and  the 
Bongo,  Flora  seems  to  delight  in  crowding  all  her  pro- 
fusion upon  the  earlier  months  of  the  rainy  period:  the 
autumn  is  left  comparatively  barren,  and  even  at  the  height 
of  the  rains  there  is  little  to  be  found  which  was  not  already 
in  perfection  some  time  before. 


WOODLANDS. 


219 


The  land  itself  seems  decidedly  less  varied  than  in  the 
most  uniform  districts  of  Germany.  Woods  indeed  there 
are,  and  steppgs ;  there  are  low  grassy  pastures  and  shrubby 
thickets;  there  are  fields  and  coppices;  there  are  marshes 
and  pools;  there  are  bare  rocky  flats,  and  occasionally  a 
rocky  declivity ;  very  rarely,  and  only  in  the  dry,  out-drained 
river-beds,  are  sands  to  be  met  with  ;  and  from  these  ordinary 
characteristics  there  is  little  or  no  deviation. 

The  features  of  the  woodlands  are,  however,  very  diver- 
sified. There  are  trees  which  run  up  to  a  height  varying 
from  30  to  40  feet,  and  these  alternate  with  dwarf  shrubs 
and  compact  underwood.  Many  of  the  fields  are  marked  by 
single  trees,  which  stand  quite  apart,  and  which  have  been 
intentionally  preserved  by  the  natives  because  of  their 
edible  fruit.  In  some  places  there  are  low-lying  grassy 
flats,  which  in  the  rainy  months  are  quite  impassable,  be- 
cause the  grass  grows  taller  than  a  man ;  whilst  in  others 
the  grass  is  stunted,  because  there  is  but  a  thin  layer  of 
soil  to  cover  the  rock  below,  and  consequently  vegetation 
is  comparatively  weak.  As  to  the  pasture-lands,  they  seem 
to  be  interrupted  every  here  and  there  with  bushy  and 
impenetrable  thickets,  which  are  either  grouped  around 
some  isolated  trees  or  luxuriate  about  some  high  white  ant- 
hill. In  the  shade  of  these  are  found  the  splendid  bulbs 
of  the  Hsemanthus,  Gloriosa,  Clorophytum,  together  with 
Aroidese,  ground-orchids,  and  the  wonderful  Kosaria.  Upon 
the  drier  spots  within  the  forests,  or  where  the  clay -soil, 
happens  to  be  mixed  with  sand,  weeds  and  herbaceous  plants 
are  found  which  recall  the  flora  of  the  northern  steppes. 
Amongst  these  are  the  Capparidese,  which  (existing  as  they 
do  in  the  south  of  Nubia)  make  good  their  claim  to  be  a 
bond  of  union  between  the  two  zones.  Pressing  further 
into  the  thickets  which  are  formed  in  the  forests,  we  come 
across  great  trees  so  thickly  bound  by  the  wonderful  foliage 
of  the  large  creeper  Carpodinus,  that  a  ray  of  sunlight  can 


220  THE  HEART  OP  AFRICA, 

never  pass  them.  Here,  too,  are  wild  vines  of  many  a  kind, 
the  festoons  of  which  are  further  burdened  as  they  hang  by 
Dioscorise  and  Asclepiads.  • 


Kosaria  palmata. 

Many  are  the  comparisons  tnat  might  be  made  by  way 
of  analogy  between  the  numerous  trees  of  this  delightfully 
wooded  district  and  those  of  our  own  home.  Some  of  the 
trees  at  first  sight  have  a  considerable  likeness  to  our 
common  oaks:  amongst  these  may  be  named  both  the 
Terminalia  and  the  butter-tree  (Bassia  or  Buterospermum). 
The  fruit  of  the  latter  consists  of  a  globular  oily  kernel, 
which  looks  something  like  a  horse-chestnut,  and  which  is  as 
large  as  a  good-sized  apricot,  and  is  enveloped  in  a  green 
rind.  This  envelope  can  be  kept  till  it  is  as  enjoyable  as 
a  medlar,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  chief  fruits  of  the 
country.  From  the  kernels  of  this  widely- known  tree  an 
oil  is  expressed,  which,  under  the  name  of    butter  of  Galam/* 


FKUCTIFEROUS  TREES. 


221 


is  a  recognised  article  of  commerce  in  Gambia ;  it  lias  an 
unpleasant  flavour,  which  makes  it  not  at  all  a  desirable 
adjunct  to  the  table,  and  so,  for  us,  it  has  but  an  insignificant 
value ;  its  most  valuable  property  is  that,  at  a  temperature 
of  68^  Fahr.,  it  becomes  as  solid  as  tallow.  The  tree  itself 
is  very  handsome,  having  a  bark  which  is  regularly  marked 
by  polygonal  rifts  in  its  surface,  and  which  permits  it  to  bo 
likened  to  an  oak. 

A  very  common  tree,  which  bears  a  somewhat  striking- 
resemblance  to  our  white  beech,  is  the  small-leaved  Ano- 
gei'ssus.  Nut-trees  are  here  replaced  by  Kigelia  and  Odina. 
Far  spread  as  are  trees  of  the  character  of  our  oak,  so  too 
we  may  say  are  trees  which  have  the  look  of  a  horse- 
chestnut.  Of  this  kind  is  the  Vitex  Gienhowshii,  with  others 
of  the  species,  of  which  the  sweet  olive-shaped  fruit  is 
gathered  as  assiduously  by  the  natives  as  by  the  wart-hogs, 
who  relish  it  exceedingly.  Another  favourite  fruit  is  the 
produce  of  the  Dios^yros  mes^piliformis.  The  plane-tree 
may  here  be  said  to  be  represented,  equally  with  respect  to 
its  bark,  its  foliage,  and  the  pattern  of  its  leaves,  by  the 
splendid  Sterculia  tomentosa,  which  has  established  itself  ' 
pretty  generally  throughout  Tropical  Africa.  In  the  place 
of  willows  Africa  offers  the  Anaphrenium ;  and  over  and  over 
again  the  traveller  may  fancy  that  he  sees  the  graceful  locust- 
tree.  The  Parkia  is  another  of  those  imposing  trees  which 
are  met  with ;  the  leaves  of  this  are  not  unlike  the  Poin- 
ciana,  which  is  known  also  as  the  Poincillade  or  Flamboyer : 
its  flowers  are  a  fiery  red  with  long  stamens,  and  hang  in  a 
tuft;  when  they  die  off  they  leave  a  whole  bundle  of  pods, 
a  foot  in  length,  in  which  the  seeds  are  found  covered  with  a 
yellow  dust.  The  Bongo,  as  indeed  do  the  Peulhs  of  Footah 
Dyalon  in  West  Africa,  mix  this  mealy  dust  with  their  flour, 
and  seem  to  enjoy  it,  but  it  needs  an  African  palate  to  con- 
quer the  repulsiveness  of  this  preparation. 

Many  types  of  vegetation,  however,  abound,  to  vrhich  we 


222 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


are  altogether  unaccustomed,  and  can  exhibit  nothing  which 
appears  to  correspond.  It  is  not  only  by  the  exuberance 
and  dignity  of  their  forms  that  these  are  marked,  but  still 
more  by  the  novelty  and  grace  with  which  Nature  seems  to 
have  invested  them.  No  European  production  in  any  way 
represents  the  Anona  senegalensis,  with  its  large  blue-green 
leaf  and  its  small  fruit.  This  fruit  contains  an  aromatic 
dark  red  pulp,  and  in  a  modest  degree  it  displays  something 
of  that  captivating  quality  which  has  exalted  its  kindred 
plant,  the  Cherimoyer  of  Peru,  to  its  high  repute  as  the 
queen  of  fruits.  It  must  be  owned,  however,  that  it*  is 
difficult  to  secure  a  well-developed  example  of  this  fruit, 
for  so  keenly  is  it  spied  out  and  devoured  by  the  birds  that 
often  for  months  together  it  may  be  sought  in  vain. 

Much  more  singular  is  the  magnificent  candelabra- 
euphorbia,  which  follows  the  pattern  of  its  prototype,  the 
American  cactus.  Palms  are  not  frequent  enough  to  play 
any  important  part  in  the  scenery,  or  to  demand  any  par- 
ticular specification.  Groups  of  the  Borassus  are  observed 
near  the  river-banks,  and  the  Phoenix  spinosa,  the  original 
of  the  date-pajm,  grows  upon  the  marshes  of  the  steppe. 
Next  must  be  mentioned  the  varieties  of  fig-trees,  with 
their  leathery  leaves,  and,  associated  with  them,  those  chief 
characteristics  of  African  vegetation,  the  Combreta  and 
the  Kubiacese ;  tamarinds  with  their  thick  tubular  corollas, 
and  shrubby  Gardenise,  dwarf  and  contorted.  It  was  the 
southern  limit  of  the  acacias  of  the  White  Nile ;  and  only 
in  isolated  cases  was  the  stem  of  the  Balanites  to  be  seen, 
lingering,  as  it  were,  on  the  steppes  of  Nubia.  Even  the 
tamarind  had  become  scarce,  and  farther  south  I  did  not 
meet  with  it  at  all. 

In  its  general  character  the  flora  of  this  district  seems 
to  conform  very  much  to  what  has  been  discovered  on  the 
table-land  of  Western  Africa,  of  which  the  lower  terraces 
form  a  narrow  belt  along  the  shore,  and  are  distinguished 


CONFORMATION  OF  THE  LAND. 


223 


for  the  wild  luxuriance  Ayith  whicli  the  African  primeval 
forest  seeks  to  rival  the  splendour  of  Brazilian  nature.  In 
contrast  to  this,  the  bush-forests  in  the  higher  parts  of 
Tropical  Africa,  broken  by  the  steppes,  present  in  uniformity 
perhaps  the  most  extensive  district  that  could  be  pointed 
out  in  the  whole  geography  of  vegetation.  Extending, 
as  it  does,  from  Senegal  to  the  Zambesi,  and  from  Abys- 
sinia to  Benguela,  Tropical  Afrixja  may  be  asserted  to  be 
without  any  perceptible  alternation  in  character,  but  that 
which  is  offered  by  the  double  aspect  of  steppe  and  bush 
on  the  one  hand,  and  by  primeval  forest  in  the  American 
sense  on  the  other."  On  the  west  this  is  illustrated  by  the 
marked  difference  between  the  table-lands  and  the  low  coast- 
terraces,  whilst  in  the  interior  it  is  exhibited  by  the  distinc- 
tion between  the  woods  on  the  river  banks  and  the  flats 
lying  between  the  river  courses.  Here,  in  the  country  of 
the  Bongo  and  Dyoor,  this,  which  may  be  designated  as  a 
duality,  almost  completely  fails,  on  account  of  the  small 
supply  of  water  in  the  rivers  and  brooks ;  but  in  the  land  of 
the  Niam-niam  it  is  again  very  striking. 

Limited  as  have  been  the  botanical  collections  of  the  few 
who  have  explored  this  immense  region,  they  are  still  suffi- 
cient to  justify  us  in  estimating  the  relative  abundance 
of  species.  When  the  collections  from  Java  and  Brazil  are 
compared  with  those  of  Tropical  Africa,  it  is  certain  that  the 
plants  of  Africa  are  not  altogether  half  so  numerous. 

It  is  not  in  the  least  below  the  most  abundant  tropical 
districts  of  the  New  World  in  producing  timber  trees.  Trees 
and  shrubs  constitute  quite  a  fifth  of  the  entire  production, 
and  in  the  woods  of  the  Bongo  the  variety  of  foliage  is  every- 
where astonishing.  Any  tracts  covered  by  a  single  species 
are  altogether  rare,  and  would  exist  only  within  the  most 
limited  range.  This  uniformity  of  Tropical  Africa  in  com- 
parison with  the  enormous  space  which  it  occupies,  and  the 
striking  want  of  provinces  in  the  geography  of  its  plants 


224 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


which  it  displays,  are  the  results  of  several  agencies.  On  the 
one  hand,  it  arises  from  the  massive  and  compact  form  of  the 
whole  ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  by  an  external  girdle  which 
keeps  it  shut  up,  so  that  it  is  not  penetrated  by  foreign  types 
of  vegetation.  This  girdle  is  made  by  currents  of  the  sea 
and  long  tracts  of  desert  (the  Sahara  and  Kalahari),  and  en- 
circles it  entirely.  In  the  direction  towards  Arabia  there  is, 
as  it  were,  a  bridge  into  the  regions  of  India,  and,  indeed,  the 
Indian  flora  has  a  great  share  in  the  characteristics  of  its 
vegetation.  The  greater  number  of  the  African  cultivated 
plants,  as  well  as  nearly  all  their  associated  weeds,  have  been, 
beyond  a  doubt,  derived  from  India — a  conjecture,  equivalent 
to  a  prophecy,  w^hich  Kob.  Brown  had  formed  at  a  time 
when  little  was  known  of  the  vegetation  of  Central  Africa. 

Already  have  I  expressed  my  happiness  at  having  thus 
reached  the  object  of  my  cherished  hopes — my  satisfaction 
at  thus  finding  life  to  be  with  me  an  idyll  of  African  nature. 
My  health  was  unimpaired,  and  never  before  had  I  been  less 
hindered  in  prosecuting  my  pursuits.  I  felt  alone  in  the 
temple  of  creation.  The  people  around  me  were  somewhat 
embarrassing.  Their  wickedness,  with  its  attendant  impurity, 
stood  out  in  sad  contrast  to  the  purity  of  nature  ;  but  it  did 
not  much  disturb  the  inner  repose  of  this  still  life.  In  sick- 
ness everything  is  sad,  and  the  craving  for  home  is  not  to  be 
suppressed ;  but  whoever,  in  the  robustness  of  health,  can 
imbibe  the  fresh  animation  of  the  wilderness,  will  find  that 
it  stamps  something  of  its  unchanging  verdure  upon  his 
memory ;  his  imagination  will  elevate  it  to  a  paradise,  and 
the  days  spent  there  will  enrol  themselves  among  the  very 
happiest  of  his  life. 

One  day  in  June  there  came  back  to  the  Seriba  a  company 
which  had  been  sent  out  by  the  agent  to  fetch  the  ivory 
which  had  been  stored  in  one  of  the  minor  Seribas  of  Ghattas 
on  the  Kohl,  130  miles  away  to  tlie  south-west.  The  proper 
place  of  embarkation  for  the  Seribas  on  the  Rohl,  which  are 


AN  ABANDONED  SERIBA. 


225 


under  a  separate  agent,  is  the  Meshera  Aboo-kooka,  on  the 
Bahr-el-Gebel,  which  is  nearer  than  the  Gazelle ;  but  during 
this  year  the  natives  were  animated  by  such  a  hostile  spirit, 
that  the  shorter  route  was  impracticable,  and  thus  it  was 
necessary  to  proceed  to  the  banks  of  the  Gazelle.  In  April 
the  chief  Seriba  in  this  territory  had  been  abandoned  by  the 
few  men  who  had  been  left,  after  nearly  all  their  entire 
garrison  of  a  hundred  men  had  been  killed  during  a  raid 
against  the  Dinka  tribe  of  the  Agar.  The  remnant,  who  had 
been  informed  of  the  calamity  by  some  friendly  natives,  found 
themselves  in  a  great  strait.  They  could  sec  no  prospect 
of  defending  themselves,  and  were  compelled  to  surrender 
all  their  stores  and  ammunition,  and  to  escape  under 
cover  of  night  to  one  of  the  dependent  Seribas.  The  main 
body  of  the  troops  were  still  out  on  an  expedition  to  the 
Niam-niam  country,  and  it  was  only  the  fear  of  their  sudden 
return  which  deterred  the  Agar  from  annihilating  the  very 
last  of  their  foes.  They  plundered  and  burnt  down  the 
Seriba,  which  has  never  since  been  restored.  It  was  formerly 
the  property  of  the  brothers  Poncet,  although  they  were 
never  known  to  visit  it.  Petherick  halted  at  it  whilst  he 
was  on  his  desperate  march  to  Gondokoro,  and  inserted  it 
upon  his  map  under  the  name  of  Adael.  Bad  tidings  travel 
quickly,  and  so  it  chanced  that  the  intelligence  of  this  dis- 
aster reached  Khartoom  before  my  letters ;  the  details  were 
related  very  indistinctly,  and  my  friends  were  for  a  while 
under  some  apprehension  about  my  fate. 

In  another  respect  a  star  of  ill-luck  seemed  this  year  to 
have  risen  over  the  enterprise  of  the  company  of  Ghattas. 
The  season  had  drawn  near  in  which  the  agents  usually 
commenced  their  annual  depredations  in  the  districts  of  the 
Dinka  to  replenish  their  stock  of  cattle.  As  the  various 
associations  were  entering  upon  mutual  competition,  in  order 
to  prevent  disagreements,  there  was  laid  down  a  kind  of 
Seriba  law,  which  was  pretty  well  tlie  same  everywhere. 

Vol. 


226 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


First  of  all,  the  territories  immediately  dependent  were  dis- 
tinctly designated.  Then  it  provided  that  the  approaches 
to  a  meshera  should  only  be  used  by  those  who  could  esta- 
blish a  claim  to  it.  Nearly  every  Seriba  has  its  separate 
avenues,  upon  which  it  levies  a  toll,  and  an  avenue  without 
tolls  is  not  a  legitimate  highway  at  all.  If  any  extraordinary 
companies  desire  to  make  use  of  these  roads,  they  must  first 
come  to  terms  with  the  Seriba  agents,  who  have  the  super- 
vision of  the  right  of  way.  Even  chieftains  who  supply  pro- 
visions to  those  who  are  on  their  transit,  would  be  sure  to 
attack  them  as  foes  if  they  were  not  first  conciliated  by  being 
appointed  as  guides  and  dragomen. 

Very  similar  was  the  arrangement  that  regulated  all  the 
expeditions  which  were  undertaken  against  the  Niam-niam. 
Each  separate  company  had  its  own  route  and  its  own  train 
of  captains,  who  purchased  the  ivory  and  procured  a  market. 
No  new-comers  were  allowed  to  intrude  themselves  into  an 
established  market,  or  to  infringe  upon  its  trade.  Fresh 
marts  could  only  be  established  by  pressing  farther  onwards 
into  the  interior.  These  new  establishments  in  their  turn 
were  subject  to  monopoly,  and  were  rigidly  protected.  Where- 
ever  any  violation  of  this  rule  occurred,  there  would  be  very 
serious  conflicts — so  much  so,  that  amongst  the  Nubians  the 
affray  was  very  often  fatal.  This,  however,  would  only 
happen  while  the  contest  was  limited  between  one  negro  and 
another,  for  true  Nubians  at  once  renounce  all  allegiance  to 
a  leader  who  presumed  to  shoot  a  brother  Nubian. 

The  Khartoom  companies  are  most  jealous  of  all  their 
rights  of  cattle-plunder,  alike  in  this  region  and  in  every 
other.  The  district  over  which  the  incursions  of  Ghattas 
ranged  embraced  the  whole  of  the  lower  course  of  the  river 
Tondy.  During  the  previous  year  it  was  said  that  the  total 
of  the  booty  was  no  less  than  800  oxen;  but  this  year, 
although  the  aggressions  were  thrice  renewed,  the  result  was 
altogether  a  failure,  and  was  quite  a  derision  amongst  the 


CATTLE-RAIDS  ON  THE  DINKA. 


227 


neighbours,  being  barely  forty  head  of  cattle.  In  vain  had 
they  explored  the  country  west  of  the  Tondy  ;  to  no  purpose 
had  they  scoured  the  territories  alike  of  the  Rek  and  of  the 
Lao ;  everywhere  they  were  just  too  late.  The  Dinka  had 
got  intelligence  betimes,  and  off  they  packed  their  herds 
and  families  to  the  inaccessible  marshes.  Their  mere  supe- 
l  iority  in  numbers  here  gave  them  the  advantage,  and  they 
could  hold  their,  own  against  considerable  troops  of  armed 
marauders.  The  whole  Dinka  tribe  amongst  them  could 
hardly  boast  a  single  musket  which  could  go  off  properly. 
Other  companies,  which  had  been  more  fortunate  in  plunder, 
were  now  ready  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to 
dispose  of  their  superfluous  cattle  in  barter  for  what  the 
country  afforded.  Sometimes  it  might  be  for  slaves,  or  for 
copper-rings,  or  sometimes  (and  this  was  a  very  favourite 
method)  for  bills  of  exchange  upon  Khartoom.  Thus  those 
who  lived  upon  robbery  were  glad  mutually  ^to  make  a 
market  of  each  other. 

The  mode  of  carrying  out  these  raids  may  be  thus  exem- 
plified :  On  the  last  occasion  140  armed  troops,  accompanied 
by  a  recognised  train  of  some  hundred  natives,  followed 
again  by  a  lot  of  people  with  a  keen  scent  for  cattle  of  any 
sort,  had  set  out  upon  their  enterprise.  In  this  cavalcade  they 
had  proceeded  exactly  as  though  their  intention  was  merely 
to  reach  some  Seriba  or  other.  Then,  all  of  a  sudden,  when 
they  saw  that  the  chances  were  in  their  favour,  just  at  night- 
fall (deviating  to  one  side,  or  even  retracing  their  steps), 
they  marched  on  till,  generally  at  break  of  day,  they  arrived 
at  the  devoted  murah.  Having  surrounded  it,  they  began 
to  beat  their  gongs  and  to  fire  away  vigorously.  They  were 
so  alarmed  at  the  likelihood  of  hitting  each  other  in  the  legs 
(for  that  is  the  general  result  of  their  firing)  that  they  merely 
discharged  a  lot  of  blank  cartridges  into  the  air.  This,  how^ 
ever,  was  quite  sufficient  to  intimidate  the  natives,  who  lost 
no  time  in  making  their  escape  through  the  gaps  which  the 


228  THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 

invading  party  were  careful  to  provide  in  their  ranks.  In  a 
general  way  the  Dinka  have  no  larger  number  of  servants 
with  them  at  their  cattle-farms  than  is  absolutely  necessary, 
and,  as  I  have  mentioned,  they  leave  their  wives  and  children 
in  outlying  huts,  so  that  these  are  very  rarely  exposed  to  the 
rapine  of  the  invaders. 

By  the  help  of  the  negroes  which  they  bring  with  them, 
the  invaders  soon  make  themselves  masters  of  all  the  herds, 
and  hurry  back  covered  by  the  protection  of  the  soldiers. 
To  supply  the  requirements  of  a  year  it  is  necessary  that 
they  should  secure  by  their  raid  at  least  2000  head  of  oxen. 
Of  the  plundered  property  two-thirds  belong  to  the  autho- 
rities, the  remaining  third  being  assigned  to  the  soldiers,  who 
hawk  it  about  and  dispose  of  it  as  they  please.  A  portion, 
however,  is  first  allotted  to  the  leaders  of  the  negroes,  to  the 
overseers  of  the  districts,  and  to  the  chiefs,  which  is  ever 
an  excuse  for  great  rejoicing.  The  scandalous  accomplices, 
abettors,  and  receivers  of  this  odious  commerce  are  those 
professed  slave-traders,  the  Gellahba,  who  have  succeeded  in 
finding  snug  quarters  for  themselves  in  every  Seriba,  where 
they  manage,  like  idle  drones,  to  enjoy  the  produce  of  the 
toil  of  the  industrious.  Their  transactions  extend  to  calicoes, 
soaps,  and  head-gear ;  they  deal  in  firelocks,  looking-glasses, 
and  onions ;  they  can  sell  a  few  slaves,  old  or  young,  male  or 
female ;  they  find  a  market  for  rings  and  beads ;  they  do 
something  in  amulets  and  verses  of  the  Koran ;  very  often 
they  have  on  hand  some  bullocks,  sheep,  or  goats";  indeed 
there  is  hardly  anything  which  chance  does  not  occasionally 
throw  into  their  line  of  business.  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that 
this  year  they  carried  on  a  thriving  cattle-trade  in  our  settle- 
ment. From  the  other  marauding  companies,  whose  luck 
had  been  better,  they  had  acquired  a  considerable  store  of 
cattle,  and  they  did  not  miss  the  opportunity  of  turning  it 
now  to  their  own  advantage. 

When  I  consider  the  ravages  that  are  made  year  after 


EXCURSION  TO  SUBSIDIARY  SERIBAS. 


229 


year  on  so  large  a  scale  upon  the  cattle  of  the  Dinka,  and 
the  enormous  consumption  of  the  Nubians,  I  confess  that  it 
is  quite  an  enigma  to  me  how  the  supply  is  not  exhausted. 
Although  I  am  aware  that  they  never  kill  their  cattle,  yet 
the  murrain  of  flies  every  season  decimates  their  herds ;  and, 
besides  this,  their  cows  very  seldom  ever  calve  more  than 
once,  and  very  frequently  remain  utterly  barren.  Observa- 
tions of  this  kind  somewhat  assist  us  in  forming  an  estimate 
of  the  vast  number^  of  the  people,  since  for  the  mere  oversight 
and  custody  of  the  myriads  of  cattle  there  must  be  multitudes 
of  men  corresponding  to  the  hand-to-mouth  population  of  our 
civilised  communities. 

From  the  21st  of  July  until  the  4th  of  August  I  made  a 
tour,  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  inspecting  the  sub- 
sidiary Seribas  of  Ghattas.  My  acquaintance  with  the 
country  was  thus  materially  enlarged.  A  march  of  about 
four  leagues  towards  the  south-west  brought  me  again,  by  a 
road  which  I  had  not  hitherto  traversed,  to  Geer,  where  the 
fields  of  sesame  were  already  in  bloom.  The  sesame  in  this 
district  all  had  white  blossoms,  while  in  the  Nile  country  it  as 
uniformly  blooms  with  a  pale  rose-coloured  flower,  and  this  is 
by  no  means  an  uncommon  feature  in  the  flora  of  the  region. 
I  could  exhibit  a  long  list  of  plants  which  elsewhere  are 
either  red  or  blue,  but  here  are  invariably  white ;  but  I  could 
not  offer  any  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  circumstance. 

Like  all  my  other  wanderings  in  the  interior,  this  little 
excursion  was  made  entirely  on  foot.  To  get  along  through 
the  tall  grass  was  anything  but  easy.  The  negroes  tread 
down  a  sort  of  gutter,  the  width  of  their  foot,  and  along  these 
we  made  our  way,  as  in  a  wheel-rut,  as  best  we  could.  It' 
was  quite  necessary  to  keep  one's  steps  verging  inwards.  Oc- 
casionally these  gutters  change  their  character  and  become 
water-courses,  by  means  of  which  the  adjacent  steppes  are 
drained.  But  the  enjoyment  of  a  luxuriant  nature,  with  its 
perpetual  change  of  scene,  and  the  charms  of  novelty  which 


230 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


presented  themselves  in  the  foliage,  compensated  richly  for  a 
little  toil ;  and  day  by  day  practice  made  the  trouble  lighter. 

This  tour  contributed  in  various  ways  to  my  stock  of  in- 
formation. In  Geer  I  met  with  the  clerk  from  the  Seriba 
destroyed  by  the  Agar,  who  related  to  me  the  adventures 
which  the  sufferers  had  endured  upon  their  flight.  With  a 
Faki  from  Darfoor,  who  had  formerly  visited  Bornu  and  the 
Western  Soudan,  I  had  a  long  geographical  dispute  as  to 
whether  the  great  river  of  the  Monbuttoo  emptied  itself 
into  the  Tsad,  or  flowed  direct  into  the  sea.  The  foreigner 
argued  justly  for  the  Shary,  whilst  I,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
referring  to  the  Benwe.  I  succeeded  in  stirring  him  and  all 
the  other  interested  listeners  to  a  state  of  considerable  amaze- 
ment at  my  acquaintance  with  localities  of  which  they  had 
no  knowledge  except  by  report  and  which  they  hardly  knew 
even  by  name.  I  told  them  about  the  whole  series  of  states 
right  away  from  Darfoor  to  the  ocean.  For  about  the 
hundredth  time  I  had  again  to  answer  the  inquiry  why 
Europeans  want  so  much  ivory.  The  curiosity  on  their  part 
is  quite  intelligible,  as  ivory  is  the  unseen  incentive  which 
keeps  alive  the  system  of  plunder  practised  by  the  Nubians, 
and  I  endeavoured  to  make  them  comprehend  something 
about  the  handles  of  knives  and  sticks  and  parasols,  the 
pianoforte  keys,  the  billiard-balls,  and  the  variety  of  other 
uses  to  which  the  material  is  applied. 

From  Geer,  with  its  questions  of  geography,  history,  and 
political  economy,  I  proceeded  another  league  and  a  half, 
and  came  to  Addai,  where  the  whole  armed  force  was 
employing  itself  most  peaceably  in  the  art  of  tailoring.  In 
hearly  all  Mohammedan  countries  needlework  is  the  business 
of  the  men.  A  short  league  brought  me  to  Koolongo,  past 
which  there  flows  a  copious  stream,  bordered  by  thick  jungles 
01  impenetrable  bamboos,  and  which,  not  far  from  Addai, 
flows  into  the  Tondy.  The  stream  is  singularly  abundant  in 
fish,  and  the  Bongo  were  busy  in  securing  tlieir  chief  haul. 


KILNOKY  AND  GURK. 


231 


They  proceed  very  much  in  the  European  way  of  clamming 
up  the  stream  by  weirs,  and  laying  down  wicker-pots  of  con- 
siderable size.  The  fishing,  for  the  most  part,  is  done  twice  in 
the  year ;  first,  at  the  commencement  of  the  rainy  season,  and 
again  wlien  the  waters  begin  to  subside. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  fish  captured  in  this  stream  is 
nearly  the  same  as  what  is  found  in  the  Lower  Nile  and  in 
^^gypt;  but  some  sorts  are  found  which  are  peculiar; 
amongst  which  the  fish-salamander  (Lejpidosiren),  and  some 
Siluridse  may  be  mentioned  as  representatives  of  the  tropics 
in  Africa.    There  is  one  kind  of  these  called  Kilnoky  by 


The  Kilnoky. 


the  Bongo,  and  which  is  rather  interesting.  It  reminds  one 
of  the  species  of  the  Auchenipterus  or  Synodontis,  which  are 
distinguished  by  their  forked  tail-fins.  Another  of  the  most 
frequent  fish  is  that  known  as  the  "  Besher  "  of  the  Nile,  here 
called  "  Gurr  "  by  the  natives.*  The  elegant,  large-scaled 
Eeterotis  niloticus,  which  the  Bongo  style  the  Goggoh," 
has  a  tender  flesh  and  is  of  a  good  flavour.  The  river  does 
not  generally  abound  with  fish  which  are  desirable  for  food, 
but  those  which  can  be  eaten  generally  belong  to  the  section 
of  the  Characini;  for  example,  the  Eijdrocyon  Forskalii, 

*  The  illustration  on  the  following  page  represents  a  young  fish,  about 
nine  inches  long,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  long,  thread-like  spikes  of  skin 
on  the  lids  of  the  gills.  This  peculiarity  has  been  observed  in  Senegal,  and 
probably  is  only  seen  whilst  the  fish  is  young. 


232 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


which  is  here  called  Kyalo."  This  is  a  grey-streaked  fish, 
glittering  like  pearl,  in  shape  not  unlike  a  salmon ;  it  has 
red  fins  and  a  regular  dog's  head,  of  which  the  lanky  jaws, 
armed  with  conical  teeth,  amply  justify  the  systematic 
name.  Related  to  this  is  the  Eaha  "  (lehtyhorus  microlepis), 
which  is  noteworthy  for  its  pike's  head,  and  the  small-scaled 
BisticJiodus  rostratus,  or  "  Heeloo,"  as  it  is  termed.  There  is 
another  sort  which  the  Bongo  call  "  Tonga."  Besides  these 
there  are  the  Kalo  "  (Alestis)  and  the  "Dologoh"  (Citha- 
rinus).  Of  the  perch,  which  plays  so  prominent  a  part  in 
these  waters,  the  silver-grey  Lates  niloticuSj  known  as  "  Golo," 


Young  Polypterus. 

is  very  abundant,  and  perhaps  still  more  so  the  'Warr" 
(Chromis),  about  the  length  of  a  finger,  and  of  which  there 
are  several  descriptions.  The  "  Warr,"  when  first  caught,  is 
of  a  dark-green  tint  crossed  obliquely  by  a  number  of  broad 
dark  stripes.  The  most  common,  however,  of  all  the  fish,  and 
which  seems  never  to  fail  in  any  of  the  marshes  left  by  the 
retreating  floods,  are  the  sheath-fish,  which  belong  to  the 
Clarias  species,  the  white  flesh  of  which  has  a  detestable 
flavour  of  the  swamps ;  and  the  Geegongoh,"  which  while 
they  are  alive  are  so  like  in  colour  to  the  brown  slime  in 
which  they  roll  that  they  cannot  be  distinguished  from  it. 
A  rare  sort  of  the  smaller  fish  is  that  known  as  the 
"  Banghey,"  and  which  belongs  to  the  species  of  the  Schilbe. 
Interesting,  as  being  a  representative  in  Africa  of  an  Indian 
species,  is  the  speckled  grey  and  brown  OpMoeephalus 
ohscurus.    It  only  remains  to  mention  among  the  lesser  sorts 


HAUNTED  CAVE  AT  KOOLONGO. 


233 


"  Ndeer  "  (Ctenopoma  PetherieJcii),  the  Labyrinth!  "  of  the 
Marango  (Laheo  ForsJmlii),  and  the  "  Moll "  (Mormyrus 
cyprinoides). 

There  are  two  methods  which  the  Bongo  employ  to  pre- 
serve the  flesh  of  their  fish.  Table  salt  they  cannot  get,  but 
they  substitute  what  they  obtain  from  ashes.  They  cut  the 
fish  through  lengthways,  simply  expose  it  to  be  dried  in  the 
sun,  and  afterwards  hang  it  up  to  be  fumigated  in  the  clouds 
of  smoke  which  fill  their  huts.  Another  way  is  to  cut  the 
fish  up  and  dry  it,  and  then  to  pound  it  all  up  in  mortars 
until  it  is  reduced  to  a  jelly,  which  is  rolled  into  balls  about 
the  size  of  the  fist.  These,  with  their  high  flavour,  form 
a  favourite  ingredient  in  soups  and  sauces,  which  are  en- 
tirely wanting  in  all  other  aromatic  condiments. 

In  Kulotfgo  so  many  ridiculous  tales  were  dressed  up  for 
me  about  the  wonders  of  the  subterranean  world,  and  of  the 
abodes  of  evil  spirits  in  the  neighbouring  caves,  that  I  glowed 
with  the  desire  to  make  their  acquaintance.  No  one  that 
I  could  find  in  the  Seriba  had  ever  ventured  to  visit  the 
dreaded  grottoes,  and  the  alarm  of  the  Governor  was  a  great 
joke;  after  he  had  talked  away  for  an  hour,  and  declared 
he  would  accompany  me,  he  ended  by  offering  a  handsome 
"  backsheesh  "  to  one  of  his  subordinates  to  take  his  place  ; 
but  his  offer  to  go  had  been  publicly  made,  and,  as  matter  of 
honour,  he  was  bound  to  attend  me.  We  had  to  cross  a 
stream  ten  feet  in  •  depth,  and  as,  on  account  of  an  injury  to 
his  foot,  he  was  riding  an  ass,  the  timid  fellow  found  just  the 
pretext  he  wanted  to  excuse  his  return ;  he  could  not  allow 
his  invaluable  donkey  to  get  a  chill.  In  a  party  of  eight, 
including  myself,  we  set  out  towards  the  house  of  terror : 
three  of  my  own  servants,  two  of  the  soi-disant  soldiers,  and 
two  of  the  natives  who  acted  as  guides.  This  company, 
however,  could  not  help  considering  them*selves  inadequate 
to  face  the  peril,  and  as  we  approached  the  caves  some  extra 
negroes  from  the  adjacent  fields  were  pressed  into  the 
service. 


234 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


Uphill  for  a  while  was  our  way  from  Kulongo,  and  on 
accomplishing  the  ascent  we  had  before  us  a  wide  plain,  and 
about  a  league  away  we  could  discern  the  spot,  shrouded  in 
a  thick  coppice,  which  was  the  object  of  our  march.  Beaching 
the  entrance  to  the  cavern,  we  found  it  blocked  up  through  a 
considerable  fall  of  earth,  which  apparently  had  been  caused 
by  the  washing  away  of  the  surface  soil  by  springs  bubbling 
up  from  beneath ;  and  the  outside  was  so  choked  up  by 
masses  of  underwood,  that  no  one  could  suspect  that  there 
was  a  grotto  in  the  rear. 

When,  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  previously,  the  first  in- 
truders made  their  way  into  this  district,  the  story  goes  that 
hundreds  of  the  natives,  with  their  wives  and  children  and 
all  their  goods  and  chattels,  betook  themselves  to  this  inac- 
cessible retreat;  and  that  having  died  of  starvfttion,  their 
evil  spirits  survive  and  render  their  place  of  refuge  a  place 
of  danger.  Just  as  we  had  contrived  to  push  a  little  way 
into  the  thicket,  an  idea  struck  one  of  my  servants  that  he 
could  be  as  cunning  as  his  master.  Finding  that  I  persevered 
in  my  intention,  he  bethought  himself  of  the  bees  on  the 
White  Nile,  and  so  there  rose  the  shout  of  *' Bees,  bees  !  *' 
from  more  than  one  of  the  party.  But  they  got  some  stings 
they  hardly  looked  for :  one  good  box  on  the  ear,  followed  up 
by  another  and  another,  made  their  cheeks  tingle  again,  and 
they  were  fain  to  proceed.  I  can  still  laugh  as  I  picture  to 
myself  those  nigger  rascals  resigning  themselves  to  enter 
the  shrubs,  and  I  see  them  heaving  a  sigh,  and  looking  as  if 
they  were  ready  to  send  their  lances  through  the  first  devil 
they  should  happen  to  meet.  I  followed  them  on  .through 
the  hazardous  pathway,  the  darkness  growing  ever  deeper. 
Stumbling  on,  we  made  oUr  way  over  blocks  of  stone,  de- 
scending for  more  than  a  hundred  feet  till  we  reached  the 
entrance  of  the  cave,  which,  after  a  low  kind  of  porchway 
through  the  rifled  rocks,  arches  itself  into  a  spacious  grotto, 
capable  of  sheltering  some  thousand  men. 

In  place  of  any  heart-rending  shrieks  of  wicked  ghosts, 


INVOKING  THE  SPIRITS. 


235 


there  was  nothing  more  to  alarm  us  than  the  whizzing  oi 
countless  bats  (Phyllorhind  caffra),  and  thus  at  once  the 
whole  veil  of  romance  was  torn  asunder.  We  reclined  for  a 
time  in  the  cool  shade,  and  then  I  invited  the  whole  party  to 
take  part  in  a  scene  of  conjuration,  for  which  they  were  quite 
prepared.  With  the  full  strength  of  my  voice  I  cried, 
Samiel,  Samiel,  Afreed ! "  invoking  the  spirits  of  evil  to  put 
in  an  appearance  ;  thus  all  pretext  of  fear  from  that  quarter 
was  put  to  rest ;  and  now  belief  in  ghosts  took  another  shape, 
and  the  men  pretended  that  they  were  terrified,  because  the 
cave  was  a  lurking-place  of  lions ;  but  as  a  fine  brown  dust 
covered  the  floor  of  the  grotto,  leaving  it  as  smooth  as 
though  it  had  just  been  raked  over,  I  asked  them  to  show 
me  some  traces  of  the  lions.  They  could  detect  nothing, 
however,  but  the  vestiges  of  some  porcupines,  of  which  a  few 
quills  made  it  clear  that  other  creatures  besides  ghosts  and  bats 
made  the  cave  their  home.  That  brown  dust  was  a  vast  mass  of 
guano  that  had  gradually  accumulated  ;  I  brought  away  a  sack 
of  it  with  me,  and  it  worked  wonders  in  making  my  garden 
productive,  resulting  in  some  cabbages  of  giant  growth. 

The  rocky  walls  of  the  cave,  dripping  as  they  were  with 
moisture,  were  covered  with  thick  clusters  of  moss,  which 
took  the  most  variegated  forms,  and  were  quite  a  surprise  in 
this  region  of  Central  Africa,  where  mosses  are  very  scarce. 
A  regular  network  of  foliage,  with  long  creepers  and  thorny 
brambles,  filled  up  the  entire  glen  upon  which  the  grotto 
opened,  so  that  no  ray  of  sunlight  could  ever  penetrate. 

The  Bongo  give  the  name  of  "  Gubbehee  "  (or  the  sub- 
terranean) to  this  cavern.  I  tried  to  creep  into  some^  of  the 
crevices,  but  was  soon  obliged  to  desist,  sometimes  because 
the  fissures  were  too  narrow,  and  sometimes  because  the  mul- 
titudes of  bats  came  flying  out  in  my  face,  and  sometimes 
because  the  reeking  ammonia  choked  me,  and  made  further 
progress  impossible.  By  some  shots,  however,  which  »I  dis- 
charged, I  convinced  myself  of  the  magnitude  of  these  rifts, 
which,  within  a  few  inches,  were  full  of  guano. 


236 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Full  of  spirits,  we  retraced  our  steps  to  the  Seriba,  and 
had  some  sport  with  the  Governor  about  his  pretence  of  the 
susceptibility  of  his  donkey.  When  I  asked  him  to  accept  a 
bet  oflOO  dollars  that  he  would  pass  a  night  by  himself  in  the 
cave,  he  was  quite  as  bumptious  as  on  the  day  before ;  but  I 
moderated  his  enthusiasm  by  suggesting  that  his  donkey,  per- 
haps, was  worth  more  than  the  100  dollars,  and  that  I  was  sure 
that  the  donkey  could  not  stand  the  damp.  The  result  was, 
that  he  declined  the  engagement,  and  cried  off  the  wager. 

These  details  will  answer  the  purpose  of  showing  what 
kind  of  heroes  these  cattle-stealers  and  men-hunters  are.  To 
them  most  literally  applies  Dante's  verse,  when  he  speaks  of 
the  saucy  herds  who,  "  behind  the  fugitives  swell  with  rage, 
but  let  these  show  their  teeth,  or  even  stretch  out  their 
purse,  and  at  once  they  are  gentle  as  a  lamb."  Against  the 
poor  faint-hearted  negroes  they  were  valiant  and  full  of 
pluck  ;  but  all  their  courage  vanished  into  nothing  when  they 
came  in  contact  with  the  Shillooks  and  Bari. 

In  Kulongo  were  wide  plains  covered  with  earth-nuts, 
which  attract  multitudes  of  the  jackals  of  the  country,  which 
scratch  up  the  nuts,  and  crack  them  with  their  teeth.  The 
jackal  (the  "  bashohm  "  of  the  Nubians,  Ganis  variegatus) 
is  one  of  the*  most  common  animals  in  Bongo-land.  It  is 
about  the  size  of  an  ordinary  fox,  in  colour  being  like  a  wolf, 
with  black  back  and  tail.  They  are  pretty  sure  to  be  seen 
in  the  early  morning,  squatting  comfortably  down,  and  com- 
posedly enjoying  the  nuts.  I  knocked  over  several  of  them 
with  heavy  shot,  and  took  care  of  their  skins,  which  gave  me 
some  beautiful  fur.  The  bashohm  is  very  destructive  among 
the  poultry  of  the  villages,  doing  even  more  mischief  than  the 
wild  cat,  which  does  not  care  to  venture  so  near  the  huts. 

From  Kulongo  I  returned  to  Geer,  from  which  it  is  dis- 
tant about  as  far  as  from  Addai.  Half  a  league  on  the  way 
we  came  to  a  spot  where  a  deserted  Seriba  of  Ghattas's 
exhibited  its  desolate  remains.  The  sight  here  was  very 
striking ;  after  penetrating  the  tall  masses  of  grass,  we  found 


ANOTHER  DESERTED  SERIBA. 


237 


some  self-sown  sorghum,  the  stalks  of  which  reached  the 
astonishing  length  of  20  feet,  being  beyond  question  the 
tallest  cereal  in  the  world.  The  extraordinary  growth  was 
probably  to  be  attributed  to  the  manuring  substances 
which,  year  after  year,  collect  upon  and  fertilise  the  soil. 
The  palisades  of  the  old  Seriba  were  still  partially  standing, 
and  were  hardly  higher  than  the  surrounding  grass,  and 
the  ruins  were  overgrown  with  wild  gourds,  calabashes,  and 
cucumbers.  The  bare  frameworks  of  the  conical  roofs  had 
fallen  to  the  ground,  and  lay  like  huge  crinolines  :  they 
served  as  supports  to  the  growing  pumpkins,  and  formed  in 
this  condition  a  thick  shady  bower. 

The  extensive  wilderness  derived  a  weird  aspect  from  the 
strange  stillness  that  pervaded  the  deserted  dwellings.  There 
was  not  a  song  from  a  bird,  there  was  hardly  the  humming 
of  an  insect ;  it  seemed  as  if  Nature  were  revelling  in  her 
undisputed  sway,  or  as  if  the  curse  of  a  prophet  had  been 
wreaked  upon  the  abodes  of  violence  and  of  plunder. 

By  the  end  of  July  all  the  bamboos  were  in  full  blossom. 
The  grains  are  not  unlike  rye,  and  are  edible,  and,  in  times 
of  dearth,  have  been  known  to  form  a  substitute  for  the 
exhausted  corn.  When  the  fruit  is  mature,  the  long,  rami- 
fied panicles  have  a  very  remarkable  appearance,  and  the 
ears,  clustered  together  at  their  base,  radiate  like  an  ancient 
whirlbat.  Yery  rarely,  however,  does  the  African  bamboo 
bloom,  so  that  it  is  not  often  that  it  supplies  the  place  of 
ordinary  corn. 

At  an  equal  distance  of  about  a  league  and  a  half  from 
Kulongo  and  from  Geer  lies  the  village  of  Gurfala.  The 
way  thither  led  through  perpetual  marshes  and  was  so 
interrupted  by  deep  masses  of  mud  that  I  had  repeatedly  to 
change  my  clothes.  When  the  naked  skin  is  exposed  to  the 
filth  of  the  bogs,  it  is  not  only  annoyed  by  a  number  of 
insects,  some  of  them  harmless  enough,  many  of  them  most 
disgusting,  but  it  is  terribly  cut  by  the  sharp  edges  of  the 
grass.    This  not  merely  causes  considerable  pain,  but  the 


238 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


wounds  inflicted  in  this  way  are  often  very  troublesome 
and  slow  to  heal ;  they  not  unfrequently  result  among  the 
Nubians  in  serious  sores,  and  have  been  known  to  entail 
the  loss  of  a  foot.  At  every  Seriba  there  will  be  found 
some  who  are  suffering  from  this  cause,  and  Baker  ob- 
served the  recurrence  of  the  same  evil  amongst  his  people. 
As  the  same  consequences  do  not  occur  in  Nubia  itself  they 
are  probably  to  be  attributed  to  the  effect  of  the  climate. 
The  backs  of  the  negroes  are  not  available  for  transport 
over  any  long  distances  of  this  fenny  land,  because  of  the 
insecurity  of  the  footing ;  and  in  another  respect  this  mode 
of  conveyance  offers  little  attraction ;  to  mount  one  of  the 
negroes  is  almost  as  disastrous  to  one's  white  summer 
garments  as  an  actual  tumble  into  the  marsh.  Soap  is  not 
a  common  article  hereabout,  and  must  be  used  economically, 
and  the  traveller  has  to  put  up  with  a  general  wash  about 
once  in  two  months. 

All  the  minor  Seribas  are  really  established  for  the  purpose 
of  overlooking  the  Bongo,  and  the  sub-agents  are  always  in 
trepidation  lest  there  should  be  a  sudden  disappearance  of  all 
their  negroes.  It  has  not  unfrequently  happened  that  whole 
communities  of  the  Bongo,  quite  unawares,  have  taken  up 
their  baggage,  started  off  from  their  state  of  subjection,  and, 
escaping  the  hands  of  their  masters,  have  established  them- 
selves amongst  the  neighbouring  Dink  a.  If  they  wish  to 
cultivate  corn  for  themselves,  who  could  venture  to  blame 
them  ? 

The  Bongo  name  for  Gurfala  is  Ngulfala,  which  indicates 
an  earlier  tribe  of  this  race,  which  is  no  longer  separated  into 
various  clans.  Gurfala,  I  found,  had  its  amusing  associations. 
As  in  Kulongo  it  was  the  fear  of  ghosts  for  which  the  people 
had  been  conspicuous,  so  here  it  was  the  effect  of  a  great 
brandy-distillery  upon  the  inhabitants  that  entertained  me. 
This  distillery  was  kept  by  an  old  Egyptian,  one  of  the  few 
of  his  race  who  resided  in  the  district  of  the  Seribas.  Out  of 
an    ardeb,"  or  about  five  bushels  of  sorghum,  he  managed, 


AFRICAN  DISTILLERY. 


23b 


with  his  rude  apparatus,  to  extract  about  thirty  bottles  of 
watery  alcohol.  The  sallow  old  Egyptian,  whom  the  enjoy- 
ment of  his  vile  liquors  had  tanned  till  his  skin  was  as  dry  as 
parchment,  was,  as  it  were,  director  of  a  joint-stock  company, 
of  which  the  snb-agents  and  the  soldiers  in  the  Seriba  were 
the  shareholders,  contributing  their  quota  of  corn  to  the 
concern.  The  apparatus  for  distilling  consisted  of  a  series 
of  covered  clay  retorts,  connected  by  tubes  made  of  bamboo ; 
the  establishment  for  working  was  made  up  of  a  party  of 
fat-bellied,  swarthy  women  slaves,  who  had  to  pound  away 
at  the  grain  in  a  mortar ;  and  as  often  as  they  paused  for 
a  moment  to  recover  their  breath,  after  their  grinding 
exertions,  they  invariably  panted  till  they  reminded  one  of 
exhausted  Cybeles.  The  chief  material  used  was  sorghum  ; 
the  produce  was  a  vile  spirit.  All  the  Nubians  Avho  settle 
here  would  abandon  themselves  very  much  to  the  use  of 
brandy,  if  it  could  be  more  readily  procured  and  if  a  con- 
tinual superabundance  were  at  their  disposal;  their  fanati- 
cism, however,  is  irreproachable ;  they  rigorously  follow  the 
prescription  of  their  law,  and  most  scrupulously  observe 
the  Fast  of  Kamadan. 

Together  with  the  fresh  relays  arrived  rows  of  spirit-flasks 
in  their  original  packing  (mostly  made  at  Breslau),  which  are 
stored  away  in  the  magazines.  These  find  their  way  from 
Alexandria  and  Khartoom  to  this  remote  corner  of  traffic.  The 
agents  drink  their  spirits  neat,  and  cannot  get  it  strong 
enough  to  please  them ;  everybody  else  dilutes  it  with  two- 
thirds  water  or  mixes  it  with  his  merissa.  In  their  drinking- 
bouts  they  used  to  besiege  me  with  applications  for  some  of 
the  sharp  radishes  from  my  garden,  which  on  these  occasions 
they  seemed  especially  to  relish.  What  was  most  revolting  to 
me  about  their  intoxication  was  that  they  always  preferred 
the  early  hours  of  the  morning  for  their  indulgence,  and  for 
the  rest  of  the  day  became  incapable  of  standing  upright. 
After  they  were  tipsy  they  were  just  as  pugnacious  as 
Europeans,  but  the  excitability  of  the  South  would  break  out, 


240 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


so  that  manslaughter  and  death  were  not  of  unfrequent 
occurrence. 

After  a  couple  of  days  I  took  my  departure  from  the  huts 
of  Gurfala,  where  a  number  of  the  Gellahba  also  have  settled 
themselves,  and  I  made  my  way  over  a  short  two  leagues 
towards  the  west  to  Doomookoo,  the  fifth  of  the  Ghattas 
Seribas.  The  route  was  over  a  firm  soil,  alternately  bush- 
wood  and  open  steppe.  The  grass  on  the  rocky  level  seemed 
to  have  a  permanent  character.  All  of  one  kind,  and  covering 
large  tracts  of  country,  it  reminded  me  of  the  waving  ears  of 
our  own  cornfields.  Although  the  region  seems  to  be  desti- 
tute of  any  continuance  of  trees,  it  far  surpasses  the  Euro- 
pean plains  and  meadow  lands  in  the  variety  of  its  permanent 
grasses. 

About  half-way  there  was  a  pond  made  by  rain  on  the 
l  ocky  ground,  which  was  covered  with  the  large  red-headed 
geese  of  the  Gambia  and  a  number  of  widow-buntings.  Only 
during  the  rainy  season  do  these  birds  quit  the  waters  of 
the  great  Nile  and  find  their  way  to  the  interior. 

At  Doomookoo  I  found  the  negroes  all  astir ;  an  equip- 
ment was  being  made  for  an  expedition  to  Gebel  Higgoo, 
and,  with  the  co-operation  of  Aboo  Guroon,  was  to  consist  of  a 
hundred  armed  men.  Mukhtar,  the  captain  of  the  troop,  re- 
peatedly assured  me  that  he  could  reach  his  destination  in  about 
five  days, 'and  I  was  piuch  disposed  to  accompany  him.  But 
there  was  in  my  way  this  obstacle,  that  I  was  obliged  to  get 
my  correspondence  off-hand ;  I  had  to  write  my  letters  for  a 
whole  year.  The  mountains  Higgoo  and  Shetatah  have  been 
so  denominated  for  some  cause  by  the  Nubians ;  Higgoo 
signifying  a  bandbox,  and  Shetatah  being  their  name  for 
cayenne  pepper.  They  lie  in  a  southerly  direction  from 
where  we  were,  only  a  few  leagues  distant  from  that  Mundo 
which  is  so  often  mentioned  by  Petherick  ;  a  spot  which  on 
every  map  is  notoriously  always  pushed  either  backwards  or 
forwards  for  several  degrees,  and  originally,  by  those  who 
professed  to  have  visited  it,  was  said  to  be  situated  on  the 


MUNDO.  241 

Equator.  The  fact  is,  that  Mundo  is  tlie  name  ordinarily 
given  by  the  Bongo  to  a  small  tribe  calling  itself  Babuckur, 
which  has  contrived  to  wedge  in  its  position  between  the 
borders  of  the  Bongo  and  the  Niam-niam.  On  the  eastern 
limit  the  Bongo  denote  the  Niam-niam  themselves  by  this 
name  of  Mundo.  To  the  isolated  hills  of  this  border-land, 
such  of  the  Bongo  as  could  maintain  their  independence 
made  good  their  retreat,  and  only  in  consequence  of  the 
contemplated  expedition  of  the  Khartoomers  were  they  laid 
under  tribute.  During  the  present  year  the  trading  compa- 
nies had  established  a  number  of  settlements  here  amongst 
them,  these  advanced  colonies  being  necessary  for  the  secu- 
rity of  the  highways  for  traffic  into  the  Niam-niam  territory. 
Hitherto  all  the  avenues  for  transit  had  been  found  liable  to 
attack  from  the  uncontrolled  Bongo  and  from  the  Babuckur ; 
but  now  the  entire  region  was  sequestered,  and  made  a  kind 
of  preserve,  on  which  the  two  companies  could  meet  and 
monopolise  their  slave-plunder. 

In  one  of  the  more  extended  low-lying  steppes,  overgrown 
with  its  mass  of  vegetation,  I  lost  a  whole  day  in  vain 
endeavours  to  secure  an  antelope  of  that  large  breed  which 
is  found  here,  but  which  seems  to  elude  all  pursuit,  in  the 
course  of  the  chase  learning  to  discriminate  a  considerable 
number  of  species.  Fate  was  here  unpropitious.  Manoeuvre 
as  I  would,  I  could  not  sneak  up  close  enough  to  get  a  shot. 
More  than  once  I  saw  large  herds  of  Leucotis,  grazing  appa- 
rently in  entire  repose  ;  but  every  movement  of  mine  was  so 
dependent  upon  the  formation  of  the  ground,  and  every  dis- 
turbance of  the  tall  grass  resulted  in  such  a  crackling,  that 
to  meditate  a  surprise  was  out  of  the  question.  If  ever  I 
flattered  myself  that  I  was  gaining  some  advantage,  and  was 
getting  close  to  the  herd  under  cover  of  a  detached  bush,  I 
was  sure  to  be  betrayed  by  the  keen  vision  and  disquietude 
of  some  stray  beast  that  was  hanging  on  the  flank.  Still 
greater  w^ere  the  obstacles  that  occurred  if  pursuit  were  tried 
in  the  drier  tracts  by  the  border  of  the  lowlands.    Here  were 

Vol.  I.— 18 


242 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


seen  whole  troops  of  the  Aboo  Maaref  (A.  nigra),  like  great 
goats,  with  their  sharp  .horns  and  their  flowing  manes,  proudly 
strutting  on  the  plain  ;  but,  times  without  number,  on  the 
first  alarm  they  bounded  off.  No  avail  that  their  black 
wrinkled  horns  were  right  before  us,  rising  and  sinking  in 
the  grass,  offering  a  mark  indeed  somewhat  indefinite ;  no 
good  that  we  crept  on,  three  at  a  time,  one  taking  the  wil- 
derness, another  the  thicket,  and  the  third,  step  by  step, 
getting  through  the  marshy  hollows — everything  was  ineffec- 
tual: just  as  we  thought  we  were  getting  an  advantage, 
either  some  one  would  fall  into  a  hole,  or  would  shake  a 
bough  that  hung  over  his  head,  or  would  disturb  the  crack- 
ling stalks  in  the  bushes,  and  all  hope  was  gone  ;  the  signal 
of  danger  was  circulated,  and  the  herd  were  out  of  reach. 
These  details  will  furnish  an  idea  of  the  endless  artifices  by 
means  of  which  the  chase  in  the  rainy  seasons  -has  to  be  prac- 
tised to  insure  success.  Wet  through,  and  with  clothes  satu- 
rated with  the  mire  of  the  marshes,  extremely  weary,  and 
having  only  succeeded  in  sending  one  poor  Aboo  Maaref 
hopping  on  three  legs  after  its  companions,  we  returned  at 
the  close  of  our  day  of  unsuccessful  exploit. 

The  return  to  my  headquarters  from  Doomookoo  was  a 
journey  of  about  four  and  a  half  leagues.  I  found  the  way 
entertaining  enough.  Elevated  dry  flats  of  rocks  came  in 
turns  with  inundated  lowlands;  and  after  passing  through 
pleasant  woodlands  the  road  would  wind  through  open 
steppes.  Game  was  everywhere  most  abundant.  It  was 
only  necessary  to  withdraw  for  an  hour  from  a  settlement 
to  get  an  impression  that  the  whole  of  the  animal  creation 
had  ceased  to  give  itself  any  concern  about  the  proceedings 
of  man.  Not  one  of  the  soldiers,  whose  lives  are  lavished 
by  their  employers  in  a  hundred  useless  ways,  finds  the 
least  enjoyment  in  the  noble  pleasures  of  the  chase. 
They  all  shirk  the  trouble,  and,  even  if  they  could  get 
up  the  necessary  perseverance,  they  are  such  bad  shots 
that  they  could  hardly  recompense  themselves  for  their 


THE  HEGOLEH  AND  THE  DELOO.  243 

exertion.  Besides  this  they  prefer  the  very  rankest  of 
their  goats'  flesh  to  the  choicest  venison ;  partly  it  may  be 
Irom  the  general  uniformity  of  their  diet,  or  partly  perhaps 
from  their  religious  aversion  to  eat  of  meat  slaughtered  in 
a  manner  that  is  not  prescribed  in  their  law  ;  certainly  it  is 
very  rare  for  them,  in  their  wanderings,  to  partake  of  any 
game  which  they  have  captured. 

There  are  two  little  antelopes  which  are  here  very  common, 
and  which  roam  about  the  country  in  pairs.  One  of  these 
is  the  Hegoleh  (A.  madoqua)  which  appears  to  be  found 
right  through  from  Abyssinia  to  the  Gambia ;  the  other  is 
the  Deloo  {A.  grimmia),  which  is  known  also  in  the  south. 
They  are  both  pretty  and  lively  bright-eyed  creatures,  of 
which  the  entire  length  is  but  little  over  three  feet;  they 
correspond  very  nearly  to  a  small  roe,  or  the  fawn  of  a  fallow 
deer. 

The  Hegoleh  is  all  .of  one  colour — a  light  tawny  with  a 
greyish  throat,  not  so  foxy  as  the  Leucotis.  The  Deloo  is 
of  a  fawn  colour  on  its  back,  with  a  tinge  of  yellow  in  front ; 
its  flanks  are  nearly  white,  whilst  its  ankles  are  black.  Its 
head  is  very  expressive  ;  a  black  stripe  runs  along  it  and 
terminates  in  a  dark  brown  tuft ;  this  gives  to  the  female, 
which  has  no  horns,  rather  a  comical  look,  running  up  as  it 
does  into  a  stiff  peak  of  about  five  inches  long :  in  the  males 
this  growth  is  concealed  by  the  short  horns.  Both  kinds  are 
distinguished  by  the  glands  of  the  lacrymal  ducts.*  The 
Madoqua  has  two  pair  of  these,  one  pair  set  under  the  roots 
of  the  ear,  making  a  triangle  of  an  area  of  half  a  square  inch  , 
the  other  pair  in  the  tear-pits  composing  a  sort  of  pouch, 
about  an  inch  long,  which  consists  of  a  deep  fold  of  skin,  and 
from  which  is  discharged  a  viscous  and  colourless  matter. 
Above  the  tear-glands,  towards  the  nasal  bone,  there  projects 
on  each  side  from  the  frontlet  a  thick  pad  about  three  inches 
long,  which  seems  to  have  an  adenoid  texture,  almost  like 

♦  The  head  of  the  Madoqua  is  represented  as  accurately  as  possible  in  the 
accompanying  illustration. 


244  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

a  tumour.  In  the  same  way  as  with  the  Cervicapra,  these 
tear-glands  during  any  excitement  open  themselves  like  the 
nostrils  of  a  snorting  horse.  The  Deloo  has  only  one  pair  of 
these  glands,  which  lie  horizontally  in  a  narrow  streak  across 


The  Madoqua. 


the  hollow  of  the  eyes.  Both  kinds  are  alike  in  never  ven- 
turing into  the  low  grounds  exposed  to  floods,  and  in  pre- 
ferring the  rocky  lauds  which  are  covered  with .  bush  wood. 
They  often  get  into  the  middle  of  a  thicket,  and  startle  the 
huntsman  by  suddenly  springing  out,  in  the  same  way  as 
the  Ben-Israel  or  Om-digdig  of  Abyssinia  (A.  Hempriehiana). 
The  flesh  of  both  these  antelopes  is  very  indifl'erent  for 
eating  as  compared  with  the  larger  kinds  ;  that  of  the  Deloo 
when  roasted  having  a  singular  acrid  flavour,  which  seems  to 
suggest  the  unpleasantness  of  the  glands. 

Towards  the  end  of  August  the  sorghum-harvest  com- 
menced with  the  pulling  of  the  light  crop  of  the  fouivmonthly 
sort,  which  had  been  sown  in  the  latter  part  of  April.  But 
the  general  ingathering  of  the  heavier  varieties,  which 


CULTIVATION  OF  SORGHUM. 


245 


contribute  chiefly  to  the  supply  of  corn,  did  not  take  place 
until  the  beginning  of  December,  after  tlie  rainy  season  was 
over.  In  Sennaar  and  Taka,  sorghum  requires  five  or  six 
months  to  come  to  maturity,  but  in  this  district  it  rarely 
takes  less  than  eight  months.  Both  the  early  and  late  sorts 
commonly  attain  a  height  of  nearly  fifteen  feet ;  the  stalks 


The  Deloo 


of  the  former  remain  quite  green,  but  the  reedy  stems  of  the 
latter  become  so  strong  and  woody,  that  they  are  used  for 
fences  to  divide  one  enclosure  from  another.  Some  of  the 
varieties  are  scarcely  inferior  to  the  regular  sugar  millet 
{Sorghum  saccharatum)  in  producing  an  abundance  of  sac- 
charine matter ;  these  are  known  to  the  negroes  as  well  as 
to  the  Arabians  of  the  Soudan,  who  chew  the  straw  and  so 
express  the  juice.  The  Bongo  and  the  Dyoor  express  the 
pulp  by  means  of  wooden  mortars,  and  boil  it  till  it  has  the 
consistency  of  syrup.  From  this  concoction  I  was  able  to 
procure  a  spirit  which  was  far  more  palatable  than  what  I 
should  have  obtained  by  distilling  the  sorghum  itself. 

Both  varieties  of  the  common   sorghum,*  which  here 


*  In  all  descriptions  of  sorghum,  as  given  by  travellers,  there  seems  to  be  a 
considerable  confusion  with  respect  to  the  distinctive  names  of  this  ordinary 
cereal.  It  is  called  promiscuously  "Kaffir-corn,"  "negro-cane,"  "bushel- 
maize,"  "  Moorish-mille,"  or  sometimes  "  durra."    Dnrra  is  an  Arabic  defini- 


246 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


abound  in  all  their  minor  differences  of  colour,  shape,  and 
size  of  grain,  yield  well-nigh  a  dozen  different  descriptions 
for  the  market  at  Khartoom.  The  standard  value  is  fixed 
by  the  Fatareetah,  a  pure  white  thin-skinned  grain,  which 
also  is  grown  by  the  negroes  in  the  Seriba. 

All  negro  races  that  depend  upon  agriculture  for  their 
subsistence  consider  the  cultivation  of  sorghum  most  im- 
portant. Of  the  people  among  which  I  travelled,  the  Bongo, 
the  Dyoor,  and  the  Mittoo,  were  examples  of  this.  On  the 
other  hand,  among  the  southern  Niam-niam  and  the  Mon- 
buttoo  this  cereal  is  quite  unknown. 

I  could  not  help  being  astonished  at  the  length  of  time 
which  most  of  the  kinds  take  to  ripen.  In  some  fields  a 
portion  of  the  stubble  is  left  intentionally  ungrubbed  until 
the  next  season ;  this  will  die  down,  but,  after  the  first  rain, 
it  sprouts  again  from  the  root,  and  so  a  second  gathering  is 
made  from  the  same  stem.  No  loosening  of  the  soil  is  ever 
made,  and  this  perhaps  accounts  in  a  degree  for  the  tardi- 
ness of  the  growth.  With  the  small  spades,  of  which  I  have 
already  spoken,  shallow  holes  are  sunk  in  the  ground  at 
intervals  of  about  a  yard :  into  these  is  -dropped  the  corn, 
which  then  is  trodden  down  by  the  foot.  It  is  only  during 
the  first  few  months  that  any  labour  at  all  is  given  to  the 
fields,  just  to  remove  from  the  surface  of  the  soil  the  multi- 
tudes of  weeds  which  will  spring  up.  These  weeds  are 
gathered  into  heaps,  and  form  the  only  manure  which  is  em- 


tion,  which  can  be  traced  in  literature  as  far  as  the  tenth  century.  The 
etymology  of  the  Italian  word  sorgho  is  altogether  uncertain.  Peter  de 
Crescentiis,  about  the  year  1300,  is  tlie  first  author  who  definitely  alludes  to 
corn  under  this  name ;  whether  Pliny  meant  to  refer  to  it  is  very  doubtful. 
The  Germans  in  the  South  Tyrol,  who  are  very  limited  in  their  acquaintance 
with  cultivated  cereals,  call  it,  in  their  Germanised  way,  "  Sirch,"  whilst  the 
Sclavonians  corrupt  it  further  into  "Sirek."  In  Egypt  this  sorghum  is 
called  Durra  helladi,  "  durra  of  the  country,"  to  distinguish  it  from  maize, 
which  is  known  as  Durra  Shahmi,  or  "  Syrian  durra."  In  Syria  itself,  where 
the  sorghum  is  little  known,  because  rarely  cultivated,  it  is  simply  called 
*'  durra."  Throughout  the  Soudan  it  has  exclusively  the  appellation  of 
Aish,  i.e.  "  bread." 


LIMITATION  OF  GRAIN  PRODUCE. 


247 


ployed  in  this  lavish  laboratory  of  nature.  Never  more  than 
once  is  this  weeding  repeated ;  it  is  done  by  the  women  and 
children ;  and  the  corn  is  then  left  entirely  to  take  its  chance 
until  it  is  time  to  gather  it.  On  account  alike  of  its  tall 
growth  and  of  its  luxuriant  habit,  the  men  are  careful  not 
to  plant  it  too  thickly.  The  country  does  not  offer  many 
materials  for  manuring  the  land  ;  if,  therefore,  greater  appli- 
cation of  labour  or  of  skill  should  succeed  in  doubling  the 
yield  of  every  stem,  there  would  ultimately  be  no  gain. 
The  soil,  which  already  in  many  places  fails  after  the  second 
year,  would  only  be  exhausted  so  much  the  sooner.  Such 
being  the  case,  every  project  of  ameliorating  the  condition  of 
this  people  by  enlarging  their  crop  is  quite  an  illusion ;  the 
land  could  not  sustain  a  larger  number  than  that  which 
already  resides  upon  it. 

In  my  garden  I  made  several  attempts  to  sow  wheat,  but 
without  much  success.  Probably  I  should  have  prospered 
better  if  I  could  have  obtained  some  European  seed :  mine 
was  from  Khartoom,  and  it  is  very  likely  that  the  conditions 
under  which  it  had  been  grown,  amidst  the  flooded  fields  of 
the  Nile  Valley,  on  a  soil  far  more  soddened  than  that  of  this 
district,  had  been  very  injurious  to  the  grain. 

Very  unwisely,  not  one  of  the  Seriba  governors  has  ever 
made  an  attempt  to  introduce  into  the  district  the  culture  of 
rice,  for  which  the  low  marshy  fields,  otherwise  useless,  seem 
very  admirably  adapted ;  but  the  people  are  not  to  be  taught ; 
vain  the  endeavour  to  initiate  them  even  into  a  rational 
system  of  burning  charcoal ;  and  as  to  the  culture  of  rice, 
nothing  throughout  the  whole  of  Nubia  was  known  about  it. 
On  the  contrary,  the  expeditions  which  have  set  out  from 
Zanzibar,  and  v/hich  have  explored  districts  where  the  cli- 
mate is  not  dissimilar  to  that  of  which  we  speak,  have  intro- 
duced the  cultivation  of  rice  over  a  very  considerable  area. 
The  finger  of  nature  itself  seems  to  point  out  the  propriety  of 
not  neglecting  this  product ;  in  the  whole  district  south 
of  the  Gazelle  the  wild  rice  of  Senegal  grows,  quite  freely, 


248 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


and  this  I  always  found  of  a  better  quality  than  the  best 
kinds  of  Damietta.  During  the  rains  the  wild  vice  {Oryza 
punctata)  environs  many  a  pool  with  its  garland  of  reddish 
ears,  and  seems  to  thrive  exceedingly,  but  it  never  occurs  to 
the  sluggish  natives  to  gather  the  produce  that  is  lost  in  the 
water;  and  it  is  only  because  the  Baggara  and  some  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Darfoor  had  saved  some  quantity,  that  I 
contrived  to  get  my  small  supply. 

There  yet  remain  three  kinds  of  corn  to  which  a  passing  • 
reference  should  be  made  in  order  to  complete  a  general 
survey  of  the  agriculture  of  this  district. 

Next  to  the  sorghum  stands  the  penicillaria,  or  Arabian 
"  dokhn,"  to  which  much  attention  is  devoted,  and  which  is 
cultivated  here  much  more  freely  than  in  the  northern 
Soudan.  Sown  somewhat  later  than  the  sorghum,  somewhat 
later  it  comes  to  maturity. 

A  second  substitute  on  the  land  for  sorghum  is  a  meagre 
grain,  the  Eleusine  coracana.  By  the  Arabians  it  is  called 
telaboon,  and  by  the  Abyssinians  tocusso ;  it  is  only  grown 
on  the  poorest  soils  and  where  the  ground  is  too  wet 
to  admit  of  any  better  crop.  The  grain  of  this  is  very 
small  and  generally  black,  and  is  protected  by  a  hard 
thick  skin ;  it  has  a  disagreeable  taste,  and  makes  only  a 
wretched  sort  of  pap.  It  yields  a  yeast  that  is  more  fit  for 
brewing  than  for  baking;  in  fact,  not  only  do  the  Niam- 
niam,  who  are  the  principal  growers  of  the  Eleusine,  but 
the  Abyssinians  as  well,  make  a  regular  beer  by  means 
of  it. 

Midway  between  the  sorghum  and  the  penicillaria  must 
be  reckoned  the  maize  of  the  country,  which  only  grows  in 
moderate  quantity,  and  is  here  generally  cultivated  as  a 
garden  vegetable  in  the  immediate  proximity  of  the  huts. 
The  Madi  tribe  of  the  Mittoo  are  the  only  people  who  seem 
to  cultivate  it  to  any  great  extent. 

There  is  one  quality  which  pertains  equally  to  all  these 
varieties  of  grain  which  are  grown  in  these  torrid  regions  ;  it 


AFRICAN  WHEATS. 


249 


is  not  possible  from  the  flour  which  they  provide  to  make 
bread  in  the  way  to  which  we  are  accustomed.  All  that  can 
be  made  from  the  fermented  dough  is  the  Arabian  bread, 
"kissere,"  as  it  is  called — tough,  leathery  slices,  cooked  like 
pancakes  on  a  frying-pan.  If  the  fermentation  has  gone  on 
far  enough  to  make  the  dough  rise  for  a  good  spongy  loaf, 
when  it  is  put  into  the  oven  it  all  crumples  up,  and  its  par- 
ticles will  not  hold  together ;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  the  fer- 
mentation has  not  proceeded  sufficiently,  the  result  is  a 
heavy  lump,  and  this  is  the  ordinary  daily  achievement  of  the 
natives,  who  pack  up  their  dough  in  leaves  and  bake  it  in 
the  ashes.  The  wheats  of  the  Upper  Nile  Valley,  and  even 
large  Abyssinian  kinds,  have  the  same  property,  which  may 
arise  from  the  small  proportion  of  soluble  starch  which  exists 
in  all  corn  of  the  tropics,  however  large  the  entire  quantity 
of  the  starch  may  be.  The  presence  or  absence  of  gluten  in 
the  grain  is  irrelevant,  and  cannot  be  an  adequate  explana- 
tion with  regard  to  sorghum,  of  which  the  better  kinds  are 
richer  in  gluten  than  our  wheat. 

Next,  after  the  various  sorts  of  corn,  the  leguminous  plants 
play  an  important  part  amongst  this  agricultural  population. 
Cultivated  frequently  alike  by  the  Dinka  and  Dyoor  is  the 
catyang  {Vigna  sinensis),  which  is  grown  by  the  Shillooks 
more  plentifully  than  by  either ;  but  the  Bongo  have  a  great 
preference  for  the  mungo- bean  (Phaseolus  mungo),  which  they 
call  "bokwa."  The  pods  of  these  contain  a  little  hard 
kernel,  not  unlike  black  pepper ;  in  comparison  with  the 
catyang  they  are  very  poor  eating.  Wild  representatives  of 
both  these  classes  of  beans  are  almost  universal  throughout 
Africa,  and  demonstrate  that  they  are  indigenous  to  the  soil. 
The  best  of  all  the  beans  is  the  Fhaseolus  lunatus,  which  is 
found  of  various  colours,  white,  or  brown,  or  yellow,  and  which 
in  shape  is  like  our  own,  although  the  legume  is  very  short, 
and  rarely  contains  more  than  two  seeds.  This  is  grown 
very  freely  by  the  Mittoo  and  the  Madi,  but  the  Bongo  and 
the  Dinka  also  give  it  their  attention. 


250 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


There  are  two  kinds  of  these  leguminous  plants  which  are 
cultivated  very  extensively,  and  which  fructify  below  the  soil, 
that  is,  as  the  pods  ripen  the  peduncles  bend  down  and  sink 
beneath  the  ground.  These  are  the  speckled  pea-shaped 
voandzeia  and  the  arachis,  or  earth-nut.  Dispersed  now 
everywhere  over  the  tropics,  the  proper  home  of  these  is  in 
Africa.  The  first  is  cultivated  most  of  all  by  the  Bongo ; 
the  single  seed  which  its  pod  contains  is  mealy,  but  cooking 
does  not  soften  it,  and  it  is  consequently  very  indigestible. 

The  earth-nut,  on  the  contrary,  is  of  an  oily  nature.  It  is 
seldom  wanting  amongst  any  of  the  tribes ;  in  value  it  is 
almost  a  rival  of  the  sesame,  to  the  culture  of  which  the 
Bongo  give  their  care  next  to  their  sorghum. 

Another  oily  vegetable  product  of  the  country  is  the 
Hyptis  s]picigera,  which  the  Bongo  named  "  kendee."  Once 
sown  among  cultivated  plants  it  becomes  a  sort  of  half-wild 
growth,  and  establishes  itself  as  an  important  shrub  between 
the  stubble.  The  Bongo  and  Niam-niam  especially  store  large 
quantities  of  it.  The  tiny  seeds,  like  those  of  a  poppy-head, 
are  brayed  to  a  jelly,  and  are  used  by  the  natives  as  an 
adjunct  to  their  stews  and  gravies,  the  taste  and  appearance 
being  very  similar  to  tlie  hemp-pap  of  the  Lithuanians.  Just 
as  poppy  and  hemp  to  the  people  of  the  North,  so  here  to  the 
natives  the  sesame  and  the  hyptis  appear  a  natural  product 
so  enjoyable  that,  without  any  preparation  whatever,  it  can  be 
eaten  from  the  hollow  of  the  hand,  according  to  Boccaccio's 
expression,  "  more  avium." 

A  very  subordinate  place  is  occupied  in  the  cultural  pur- 
suits of  these  people  by  any  of  the  tuberous  vegetables. 
Various  kinds  of  yams  (Dioseorea  alata,  and  D.  or  Eelmia 
huTbifera)  are  found  in  the  enclosures  of  the  Bongo  and 
of  the  Dinka,  and  are  here  and  there  cultivated  in  some  mea- 
sure like  the  maize,  under  the  eye  of  the  proprietor.  The 
Niam-niamandthe  Monbutto,who  devote  more  attention  to  the 
growth  of  tubers  than  of  cereals,  have  a  greater  preference 
for  the  sweet  potato  (Batatas),  the  manioc,  and  the  colocasia, 


AFRICAN  TUBERS, 


251 


and  other  bulbs,  which  to  the  northern  people  are  quite 
unknown.  All  the  yams  in  these  parts  seem  to  exhibit 
the  same  form,  which  is  reckoned  the  most  perfect  in  this 
pi  eduction,  lavished  by  bountiful  Nature  on  man  with  so 
little  labour  on  his 
part.  The  tubers 
of  the  Central 
African  species  are 
very  long ;  at  their 
lower  extremity 
they  have  a  num- 
ber of  thick  protu- 
berances ;  they  are 

,  Central  African  Yam. 

similar  to  a  human 

foot,  or  rather  (taking  their  size  into  account)  to  the  great 
foot  of  an  elephant.  Some  were  brought  to  me  which  varied 
in  weight  from  50  to  80  lbs.  The  substance  of  the  tuber, 
which  is  easily  cooked,  is  light,  mealy,  and  somewhat  granu- 
lated ;  it  is  more  loose  in  texture  than  our  tenderest  potatoes, 
and  decidedly  preferable  to  them  in  flavour. 


The  Nyitti. 


The  Nyitti  (Helmia  luTbifera),  which  are  protruded  from 
the  axils  of  every  leaf  on  the  climbing  sprouts,  are  in  shape 
like  a  great  Brazil-nut— a  section  of  a  sphere  with  a  sharp 


252 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


edge.  In  tlieir  properties  they  correspond  much  with  our 
potato,  particularly  as  regards  their  taste  and  their  bulk ;  but 
they  never  develop  themselves  into  such  mealy  masses  as 
the  ordinary  yams.  Their  skin  is  remarkably  like  potato- 
peel,  and  altogether  their  colour,  sometimes  yellow,  some- 
times a  thoroughly  purple-brown,  adds  to  the  resemblance. 
Very  frequently  these  plants  grow  wild,  but  in  that  condition 
the  tubers  are  quite  small,  and  have  a  taste  so  pungent 
that  they  are  said  by  the  natives  to  be  full  of  a  dangerous 
poison.  To  a  kindred  species  which  is  found  wild,  and  which 
produces  a  horn-shaped  tuber,  we  shall  have  to  allude 
hereafter. 

Just  before  the  sorghum-harvest  commenced  the  gourds 
were  ripening,  and  came  on  as  a  welcome  boon  to  the 
natives,  who  at  this  season  were  suffering  from  the  usual 
scarcity.  They  devoured  incredible  quantities  of  them,  and 
I  saw  whole  caravans  of  bearers  literally  fed  upon  them. 
Of  the  ordinary  gourds  {Gucurbita  maxima)  there  are  two 
kinds,  the  yellow  and  white,  which  succeed  excellently  and 
attain  a  prodigious  size.  There  is  a  kind  of  melon  with  a 
hard  woody  rind,  which  the  Dyoor  and  the  Dinka  culti- 
vate :  when  half-ripe,  they  cook  and  enjoy  it  as  a  palatable 
vegetable ;  it  is  generally  of  a  cylindrical  form,  and  about  a 
foot  in  length.  As  it  grows  it  assumes  the  diverse  shape  of 
the  Cucumis  chate,  the  cooking-cucumber  of  the  Egyptians, 
which  they  call  "adyoor"  and  "abdalowy;"  by  its  wild 
shapes  it  seems  to  reveal  an  African  origin.  The  leaves  of 
the  gourds  are  boiled  just  like  cabbages,  and  are  used  for  a 
vegetable.  The  bottle-gourds  do  not  grow  anywhere  here 
actually  without  cultivation,  but  in  a  sort  of  senii-cultivation 
they  are  found  close  to  all  the  huts.  From  the  edible  kinds 
are  made  vessels,  which  are  quite  secure. 

As  actual  vegetables  the  Bongo  cultivate  only  the  bamia 
or  waka  of  the  Arabian^  (Hibiscus  esculentus)  and  the  sab- 
dariffa.  The  calyx  of  the  latter  is  very  large,  varying  in 
colour  from  a  pale  flesh  to  a  dark  purple,  and  is  used  as 


AFRICAN  VEGETABLES. 


253 


a  substitute  for  vinegar  at  meals.  The  bamia  here  is  a 
larger  variety  of  the  Oriental  vegetable;  its  seed-vessels 
before  they  are  ripe  are  gathered  and  boiled. 

Altogether  unknown  throughout  the  population  of  pagan 
negroes  is  the  onion,  which  appears  to  have  its  southern 
limit  in  Kordofan  and  Darfoor.  The  equatorial  climate  seems 
to  render  its  growth  very  difficult,  and  do  what  the  Nubians 


Calyx  of  the  Hibiscus  esculentus. 


will,  they  are  unable  successfully  to  introduce  this  service- 
able vegetable  into  the  districts  of  their  Seribas.  The 
tomato  may  well  be  considered  as  a  cosmopolite,  making 
itself  at  home  in  all  warmer  latitudes,  but  previously  to  my 
arrival  it  had  not  found  its  way  into  this  region. 

For  the  sake  of  its  fibres  the  Hibiscus  cannahinus  is  very 
generally  cultivated  here,  as  it  is  in  the  Nile  Valley ;  but 
I  observed  that  the  Bongo  have  another  plant,  the  crota- 
laria,  an  improvement  upon  the  wild  sort  {G.  intermedia), 
from  which  they  make  excellent  string. 

Compared  with  Africa  in  general,  this  district  seemed  very 
deficient  in  the  growth  of  those  spices  which  serve  as  stimu- 
lants to  give  a  relish  and  variety  to  dishes  at  meals.  Ked 
cayenne  pepper,  for  instance,  is  swallowed  by  Abyssinians 
and  Nubians  in  incredible  quantities  in  their  soups,  but 
the  Bongo  regard  it  as  little  better  than  absolute  poison. 
Although  the  first-comers  found  the'  indigenous  pimento 
growing  in  all  the  enclosures,  yet  the  Bongo  reckoned  it  as 
so  dangerous  that  they  carefully  kept  it  in  guarded  spots, 


254 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


so  that  their  children  might  not  be  victims  to  the  deleterious 
effects  of  its  bright  red  berries.  The  natives  had  been 
accustomed  to  poison  their  arrows  with  pimento,  and  I  may 
mention  this  as  one  of  the  numerous  proofs  which  might  be 
alleged  that  much  of  the  arrow-poisoning  of  Africa  is  quite 
a  matter  of  imagination.  When  the  natives  witnessed  the 
Nubians  come  and  gather  up  the  suspected  berries  and  throw 
them  into  their  food,  their  astonishment  was  unbounded ; 
they  came  at  once  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  utterly 
useless  to  contend  with  a  people  that  could  gulp  down 
poison  by  the  spoonful,  and  accordingly  they  submitted 
unconditionally  to  the  intruders." 

Of  all  the  plants  which  are  cultivated  by  these  wild 
people,  none  raises  a  greater  interest  than  tobacco,  none 
exhibits  a  more  curious  conformity  of  habit  amongst  peoples 
far  remote.  The  same  two  kinds  which  are  cultivated 
amongst  ourselves  have  become  most  generally  recognised. 
These  kinds  are  the  Virginian  tobacco  {Nicotiana  iahacum) 
and  the  common  tobacco  {N.  rustica).  It  is  little  short 
of  a  certainty  that  the  Virginian  tobacco  has  only  made 
its  way  into  the  Old  World  within  the  few  centuries  since 
the  discovery  of  America.  No  production  more  than  this 
has  trampled  over  every  obstacle  to  its  propagation,  so 
that  it  has  been  kept  to  no  limits ;  and  it  must  be  matter 
of  surprise  that  even  Africa  (notorious  as*  it  has  ever  been 
for  excluding  every  sort  of  novelty  in  the  way  of  culti- 
vation) should  have  allowed  the  Virginian  tobacco  to  pene- 
trate to  its  very  centre. 

It  is  a  great  indication  of  the  foreign  origin  of  this  plant 
that  there  is  not  a  tribe  from  the  Niger  to  the  Nile  which 
has  a  native  word  of  their  own  to  denote  it.  Throughout 
all  the  districts  over  which  I  travelled,  the  Niam-niam 
formed  the  solitary  exception  to  this  by  naming  the  Vir- 
ginian tobacco  "guBdeh;"  but  the  Monbuttoo,  who  grow 
only  this  one  kind  and  are  as  little  familiar  with  K.  rustica 
as  the  Niam-niam,  call  it  "Eh-tobboo."    The  rest  of  the 


TOBACCO. 


255 


people  ring  every  kind  of  change  upon  the  root  word,  and 
call  it  *'tab,  tabba,  tabdeet,"  or  "torn."  The  plant  is  re- 
markable here  for  only  attaining  a  height  of  about  eighteen 
inches,  for  its  leaves  being  nearly  as  long  as  one  could 
span,  and  for  its  blossoms  being  invariably  white. 

Quite  an  open  question  I  think  it  is,  whether  the  N. 
rustica  is  of  American  origin.  Several  of  the  tribes  had 
their  own  names  for  it.  Here  amongst  the  Bongo,  in  dis- 
tinction from  the  "tabba,"  it  was  known  as  "masheer." 
The  growth  it  makes  is  less  than  in  Europe,  but  it  is  dis- 
tinguished by  the  extreme  strength  and  by  the  intense 
narcotic  qualities  which  it  possesses.  It  is  different  in  this 
respect  from  what  is  grown  in  Persia,  where  it  is  used  for 
the  narghileh  or  water-pipes,  and  whence  there  is  a  large 
export  of  it,  because  of  its  mildness  and  aromatic  qualities. 
Barth  *  has  given  his  opinion  that  the  tobacco  is  a  native  of 
Logane  (Mosgoo).  At  all  events,  the  people  of  Africa  have 
far  surpassed  every  other  people  in  inventing  various  con- 
trivances for  smoking,  rising  from  the  very  simplest  appa- 
ratus to  the  most  elaborate;  and  thus  the  conjecture  is 
tenable,  that  they  probably  favoured  the  propagation  of 
the  foreign  growth,  because  smoking,  either  of  the  common 
tobacco  {N.  rustica)  or  of  some  other  aromatic  weed^  had  in 
some  way  already  been  a  practice  amongst  them.  To  such 
a  hypothesis  might  be  opposed  the  important  fact  that  on 
all  the  monuments  of  the  ancient  Egyptians  that  afford  us 
so  clear  an  insight  into  the  details  of  their  domestic  life, 
there  has  never  been  found  a  written  inscription  or  pictorial 
representation  that  could  possibly  afford  a  proof  that  such  a 
custom  was  known  to  exist.  In  conclusion,  it  deserves  to 
be  mentioned  that  the  pagan  negroes,  as  far  as  they  have 
remained  uninfluenced  by  Islamism,  smoke  the  tobacco, 
whilst  those  who  have  embraced  Mohammedanism  prefer  the 
chewing  of  the  leaf  to  the  enjoyment  of  a  pipe. 


*  Vol.  iii.,  p.  215. 


CHAPTEK  VII. 


The  Bongo  :  Area,  boundaries,  and  population  of  Bongoland.  Subjection  of 
the  Bongo  to  the  Khartoomers.  Decrease  of  population  by  slave-trading. 
Bed  tinge  of  the  skin.  Width  of  the  skull.  Small  growth  of  hair.  No 
aridity  in  climate.  Wild  tubers  as  food.  Races  of  goats  and  dogs.  Hunt- 
ing-weapons. Villages  and  huts.  Smelting  furnaces.  Money  of  the 
Bongo.  Weapons  for  display.  Wood- carving.  Penates  of  the  Bongo. 
Musical  instruments.  Character  of  Bongo  music.  Corpulence  of  the 
women.  Hottentot  Venus.  Mutilation  of  the  teeth.  Disfigurement  of  the 
lips.  Arrow-poisoning.  National  games.  Marriage  premiums.  Natural 
morality.  Disposing  of  the  dead.  Memorial  erections.  Mistrust  of  spirits. 
Loma,  good  and  ill-luck.  Fear  of  ghosts.  Belief  in  witches.  Peculiarities 
of  language.  Unity  of  the  people  of  Central  Africa.  Extermination  of 
the  race. 

I  PURPOSE  in  this  chapter  to  describe  a  people  which,  though 
visibly  on  the  decline,  may  still  by  its  peculiarity  and 
striking,  independence  in  nationality,  language,  and  customs, 
be  selected  from  amid  the  circle  of  its  neighbours  as  a 
genuine  type  of  African  life.  Belonging  to  the  past  as 
much  as  to  the  present,  without  constitution,  history,  or 
definite  traditions,  it  is  passing  away,  like  deeds  forgotten 
in  the  lapse  of  time,  and  is  becoming  as  a  drop  in  the  vast 
sea  of  the  Central  African  races.  But  just  as  a  biographer, 
by  depicting  the  passions,  failings,  and  virtues  of  a  few 
individuals,  may  exhibit  a  representation  of  an  entire  epoch 
in  history,  so  we  may  turn  with  interest  to  scenes  which 
have  been  enacted  in  this  limited  district  of  the  great  and 
mysterious  continent,  sure  of  finding  much  edifying  matter 
in  the  course  of  our  investigations.  Like  the  rain-drop 
which  feeds  the  flowing  river  and  goes  its  way  to  replenish 


COUNTRY  OF  THE  BONGO. 


257 


the  mighty  ocean,  every  separate  people,  however  small, 
has  its  share  in  the  changes  which  supervene  in  the  pro- 
gress of  nations;  there  is  not  one  which  is  without  an 
abstract  bearing  on  the  condition  of  primitive  Africa,  and 
which  may  not  aid  us  in  an  intelligent  survey  of  any  per- 
spective that  may  be  opened  into  its  still  dark  interior. 

To  the  antiquary,  within  whose  province  the  description 
may  lie  in  a  degree,  the  material  that  is  offered  must  be  in 
a  measure  attractive.  A  people,  as  long  as  they  are  on 
the  lowest  step  of  their  development,  are  far  better  charac- 
terised by  their  industrial  products  than  they  are  either 
by  their  habits,  which  may  be  purely  local,  or  by  their  own 
representations,  which  (rendered  in  their  rude  and  unformed 
language)  are  often  incorrectly  interpreted  by  ourselves. 
If  we  possessed  more  of  these  tokens,  we  should  be  in  a 
position  to  comprehend  better  than  we  do  the  primitive 
condition  of  many  a  nation  that  has  now  reached  a  high 
degree  of  culture. 

Of  all  the  natives  with  whom  I  had  intercourse  in  my 
wanderings,  the  majority  of  those  who  acted  as  my  bearers, 
and  amongst  whom  I  most  frequently  sojourned,  were  the 
Bongo.  It  was  in  their  territory  that  I  spent  the  greater 
part  of  my  time  in  the  interior ;  and  thus  it  happened  that 
I  became  intimate  with  many  particulars  of  their  life;  was 
initiated  into  all  their  habits,  and  even  to  a  certain  extent 
mastered  their  dialect.* 

The  present  country  of  the  Bongo  lies  between  lat.  6° 
and  8°  N.  on  the  south-western  boundary  of  the  depression 
of  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal  basin,  and  on  the  lowest  of  the 
terraces  where  the  southern  slopes  appear  to  make  a  tran- 
sition from  the  elevated  ferruginous  crust  to  the  unfathomed 
alluvial  flats  which  are  traversed  by  all  the  affluents  of 


*  Vide  '  Linguistische  Ergebnisse  einer  Reise  nacli  Central  Afrika,*  by  Dr. 
G.  Schweiufurth.    Berlin  :  Wiegandt  and  Hempsel,  1873. 

Vol.  I.— 19 


258 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  river.  In  the  extent  of  its  area  the  land  covers  about 
the  same  surface  as  Belgium,  but  with  regard  to  population, 
it  might  be  more  aptly  compared  to  the  plains  of  Siberia  or 
the  northern  parts  of  Norway  and  Sweden ;  it  is  a  deserted 
wilderness,  averaging  only  11  or  12  people  to  the  square  mile. 
The  country  extends  from  the  Koah  to  the  Pango,  and 
embraces  the  middle  course  of  nearly  all  the  affluents  of 
the  Gazelle;  it  is  175  miles  long  by  50  miles  broad,  but 
towards  the  north-west  the  breadth  diminishes  to  about 
40  miles.  On  the  north  it  is  only  divided  by  the  small 
Dyoor  country  from  that  of  the  Dinka,  which,  however,  it 
directly  joins  upon  the  north-east.  The  south-east  boundary 
is  the  Mittoo  territory  on  the  Koah ;  and  that  on  the  west 
is  the  country  of  the  Golo  and  Sehre  on  the  Pango.  The 
eastern  branch  of  the  extensive  Niam-niam  lands  joins  the 
Bongo  on  the  south ;  whilst,  wedged  between  and  straitly 
pressed,  the  Bellanda  and  the  Babuckur  have  their  settle- 
ments. 

When,  eighteen  years  ago,  the  Khartoomers  first  set  foot 
in  Bongoland,  they  found  the  entire  country  divided  into 
a  number  of  independent  districts,  all  in  the  usual  anarchy 
of  petty  African  communities ;  there  was  nothing  anywhere 
like  an  organised  commonwealth  such  as  may  be  found 
amongst  the  Dinka,  where  entire  districts  unite  and  form 
an  imposing  warlike  tribe.  Every  village  simply  had  its 
chief,  who,  in  virtue  of  superior  wealth,  exercised  a  certain 
authority  over  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants,  and  who,  in  some 
cases,  had  an  additional  j^restige  from  his  skill  in  the  art 
of  magic.  The  Nubians,  consequently,  never  had  to  con- 
tend against  the  unanimous  hostility  of  a  powerful  or  well- 
disciplined  people,  and  only  in  a  few  isolated  places  had 
to  encounter  much  resolute  opposition.  Their  soldiersj  not 
merely  by  the  tenor  of  their  religion,  conceived  themselves 
justified  in  perpetrating  every  sort  of  outrage  upon  heathen 
unbelievers,  but  they  were  tauglit  to  consider  their  acts 


VASSALAGE.  '  259 

of  violence  as  meritorious  in  the  sight  of  God:  it  was, 
therefore,  an  easy  matter  for  them  to  fall  upon  the  weak- 
authorities  of  the  country,  and  in  the  space  of  a  few  years 
to  apportion  the  entire  territory  amongst  the  few  ivory 
merchants  in  Khartoom,  whose  spirit  of  enterprise,  suddenly 
kindled  by  the  exaggerated  reports  of  the  profits  secured 
on  the  Upper  Nile  by  Europeans,  the  first  explorers,  had 
developed  itself  into  a  remarkable  activity. 

The  natives  were  without  difficulty  reduced  to  a  condition 
of  vassalage,  and,  in  order  that  they  might  be  under  the 
close  supervision  and  at  the  service  of  their  oppressors,  they 
were  compelled  to  quit  their  homes,  and  to  reside  near  the 
Seribas  that  were  established  in  various  parts  of  the  land. 
By  the  application  of  this  sort  of  feudal  system,  the  trading 
companies  brought  about  the  realisation  of  their  project 
for  a  permanent  occupation  of  the  country.  Shut  in  by  the 
Niam-niam  on  the  south  and  by  the  Dinka  on  the  north, 
Bongoland  offered  a  twofold  advantage  for  the  establishment 
of  headquarters  for  the  expeditions:  in  the  first  place,  it 
was  in  close  proximity  to  the  Mesheras,  or  landing-places ; 
and,  secondly,  by  its  advanced  position  towards  the  interior, 
it  afforded  most  ample  opportunities  for  setting  in  operation 
the  contemplated  excursions  to  the  prolific  ivory  districts 
of*  the  south.  The  Dinka,  hostile  and  intractable  from  the 
first,  had  never  given  the  intruders  the  smallest  chance 
of  settling  amongst  them ;  while  the  Bongo,  docile  and 
yielding,  and  addicted  almost  exclusively  to  agriculture, 
had,  on  the  other  hand,  contributed  in  no  slight  measure 
to  maintain  the  Seribas.  If  ever,  now  and  again,  they  had 
been  roused  to  offer  anything  like  a  warlike  opposition,  they 
had  only  too  soon  succumbed  to  the  motto  of  the  conquerors. 

Divide,  et  impera." 

The  Dyoor,  the  Golo,  the  Mittoo,  and  other  smaller  tribes, 
shared  the  fate  of  the  Bongo,  and  in  the  short  space  of  ten 
years  a  series  of  more  than  eighty  Seribas  had  arisen  between 


260 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  Kohl  and  the  Beery.  Scarcely  half  the  population 
escaped  slavery,  and  that  only  by  emigrating;  a  portion 
took  refuge  amongst  the  Dinka  on  the  north,  and  others 
withdrew  southwards  to  the  Niam-niam  frontiers,  where 
the  isolated  mountains  enabled  them  to  hold  out  for  a 
while.  The  Khartoomers,  however,  were  not  long  in  pur- 
suing them,  and  gradually  displaced  them  even  from  this 
position. 

During  the  early  years  of  their  occupation,  the  Nubians 
beyond  a  question  treated  the  country  most  shamefully ; 
there  are  traces  still  existing  which  demonstrate  that  large 
villages  and  extensive  plots  of  cultivated  land  formerly 
occupied  the  scene  where  now  all  is  desolation.  Boys  and 
girls  were  carried  off  by  thousands  as  slaves  to  distaut 
lands ;  and  the  Nubians,  like  the  parvenu  who  looks  upon 
his  newly-acquired  wealth  as  inexhaustible,  regarded  the 
territory  as  being  permanently  productive;  they  revelled 
like  monkeys  in  the  durra-fields  of  Taka  and  Gedaref. 
In  course  of  time  they  came  to  know  that  the  enduring 
value  of  the  possessions  which  they  had  gained  depended 
mainly  on  the  physical  force  at  tlieir  disposal ;  they  began 
to  understand  how  they  must  look  to  the  hands  of  the 
natives  for  the  cultivation  of  their  corn,  and  to  their  legs 
for  the  transport  of  their  merchandise.  Meanwhile,  alto- 
gether, the  population  must  have  diminished  by  at  least 
two- thirds.  According  to  a  careful  estimate  that  I  made 
of  the  numbers  of  huts  in  the  villages  around  the  Seribas 
and  the  numbers  of  bearers  levied  in  the  several  districts, 
I  found  that  the  population  could  not  at  most  be  reckoned 
at  more  than  100,000,  scattered  over  an  area  of  nearly  9000 
square  miles. 

On  first  landing  from  the  rivers,  the  Khartoomers  opened 
up  an  intercourse  with  the  Dinka,  who  did  not  refuse  to 
furnish  them  with  bearers  and  interpreters  for  their  further 
progress  into  the  interior,  and  it  was  from  them  that  they 


COMPLEXION  OF  THE  BONGO. 


261 


learnt  the  names  of  the  different  tribes.  In  Central  Africa 
every  nation  has  a  different  designation  for  its  neighbour^ 
than  that  by  which  they  are  known  among  themselves; 
and  it  is  the  same  with  the  rivers,  which  have  as  many 
names  as  the  nations  through  whose  territory  they  flow.  In 
this  way  the  Nubians  have  adopted  the  Dinka  appellations 
of  Dyoor  for  Lwoh,  Niam-niam  for  Zandey,  and  Dohr  for 
Bongo.  This  last  people  always  style  themselves  Bongo, 
and  tbe  Khartoomers,  since  they  have  made  their  head- 
quarters in  their  territory,  have  discarded  the  Dinka  name 
of  Dohr,  and  now  always  use  the  native  term  Bongo.  Ac- 
cording to  the  Arabic  form  of  expression,  the  plural  of  Dohr 
is  Derahn,  and  of  Niam-niam  it  is  Niamahniam. 

The  complexion  of  the  Bongo  in  colour  is  not  dissimilar 
to  the  red-brown  soil  upon  which  they  reside ;  the  Dinka,  on 
the  other  hand,  are  black  as  their  own  native  alluvium.  The 
circumstance  is  suggestive  of  Darwin's  theory  of  protective 
resemblance  "  among  animals ;  and  although  in  this  instance 
it  may  be  pure^  accidental,  yet  it  appears  to  be  worthy  of 
notice.  Any  traveller  who  has  followed  the  course  of  the 
main  sources  of  the  White  Nile  into  the  heathen  negro 
countries,  and  who  has  hitherto  made  acquaintance  only 
with  Shillooks,  Nueir,  and  Dinka,  will,  on  coming  amongst 
the  Bongo,  at  once  recognise  the  commencement  of  a  new 
series  of  races  extending  far  onwards  to  the  south.  As  trees 
and  plants  are  the  children  of  the  soil  from  which  they 
spring,  so  here  does  the  human  species  appear  to  adapt 
itself  in  external  aspect  to  the  red  ferruginous  rock  which 
prevails  around.  The  jet-black  Shillooks,  Nueir,  and  Dinka, 
natives  of  the  dark  alluvial  flats,  stand  out  in  marked  dis- 
tinction to  the  dwellers  upon  the  iron-red  rocks,  who  (not- 
withstanding their  diversity  in  dialect,  in  habit,  or  in  mode 
of  life)  present  the  characteristics  of  a  connected  whole. 
Of  this  series  the  tribes  which  must  be  accounted  the  most 
important  are  the  Bongo,  the  Mittoo,  the  Niam-niam,  and 


262 


THE  HEART  QF  AFRICA. 


the  Kredy,  all  of  which  are  equally  remarkable  for  their 
entire  indijBference  to  cattle-breeding.  The  whole  of  these, 
especially  the  women,  are  distinguished  for  the  reddish  hue 
of  their  skin,  which  in  many  cases  is  almost  copper-coloured. 
It  cannot  be  denied  that  this  red-brown  complexion  is  never 
entirely  wanting,  even  amongst  the  darkest  skins  that  are 
found  in  the  lowlands ;  but  the  difference  between  their 
complexion  and  what  is  ordinarily  observed  among  the 
Bongo  is  only  to  be  illustrated  by  the  contrast  in  colour 
between  a  camellia  leaf  in  its  natural  condition  and  after  its 
epidermis  has  been  removed. 

Although  amongst  every  race  the  tint  of  the  complexion 
is  sure  to  deviate  into  considerable  varieties  of  shade,  yet, 
from  a  broad  estimate,  it  may  be  asserted  that  the  general 
tint  remains  unaltered,  and  that  what  may  be  denominated 
the  "  ground  tint "  constitutes  a  distinctive  mark  separating 
between  race  and  race.  Gustav  Fritsch,  in  his  work  upon 
the  people  of  Southern  Africa,  has  bestowed  great  attention 
upon  this  subject,  and  by  means  of  an  ingenious  table,  ar- 
ranged according  to  the  intensity  of  various  shades  of  colour, 
has  very  perspicuously  explained  the  characteristics  of  the 
Kaffirs,  Hottentots,  and  Bochjesmen.  As  matter  of  fact, 
among  the  Bongo  may  be  seen  individuals  with  their  skin  as 
black  as  ebony  ;  but  yet  this  does  not  prevent  the  true  ground 
tint  of  their  complexions  being  something  essentially  distinct 
from  any  example  that  could  occur  among  the  true  Ethio- 
pians, whether  these  might  be  light  or  dark.  The  evidence 
of  the  distinction  of  which  I  speak,  1  have  no  doubt  is  alto- 
gether very  conclusive ;  and  I  have  had  many  opportunities 
of  testing  its  reality  in  my  observations  at  the  various  Seribas, 
where  half-castes  are  very  numerous,  being  the  offspring  of 
Nubians  (including  Bedouins  in  that  category)  and  Bongo. 

In  taking  a  coloured  likeness  of  a  Bongo  it  is  necessary 
to  use  the  deep  red  pigment  known  as  Pompeian  red  very 
freely-    I  was  once  in  the  studio  of  an  artist  at  Rome  who 


STATURE  OF  THE  BONGO. 


263 


was  painting  in  oil  the  likeness  of  a  Bongo  whom  I  had 
brought  to  Europe.  I  could  not  help  observing  that  he  made 
the  ground-tint  of  the  flesh  quite  of  a  liver  colour  (hepatic) 
hue,  whilst  when  he  was  portraying  natives,  either  of  Don- 
gola  or  of  Berber,  or  even  when  he  was  depicting  the  true 
Arabs,  although  their  skins  were  equally  dark,  he  did  not 
make  use  of  red  at  all,  but  employed  a  kind  of  yellow  for  the 
basis  of  the  shades  to  follow.  His  proceeding  appeared  to 
me  an  involuntary  attestation  to  the  distinction  which  really 
exists. 

Like  the  Niam-niam,  Mittoo,  and  Kredy,  the  Bongo  rarely 
exceed  a  medium  height.  They  differ,  however,  in  several 
respects  from  the  Dinka  and  other  people  of  the  lowland 
plains.  Their  prominent  characteristics  appeared  to  me  to 
consist  in  a  more  compact  form  of  limb,  a  sharper  develop- 
ment of  muscle,  a  wider  formation  of  the  skull,  and  generally 
a  preponderating  mass  in  the  upper  part  of  the  body.  Of 
83  men  that  I  measured  I  did  not  find  one  who  had  attained 
a  height  of  6  ft.  1  in.,  whilst  the  average  height  did  not 
appear  to  me  to  be  more  than  5  ft.  7  in.  Dinka  and  Bongo 
alike  afforded  very  striking  samples  of  the  two  great  series 
of  races  which  they  severally  represented,  and  each  dis- 
played the  principal  characteristics  of  their  particular  race 
in  their  stature,  their  complexion,  and  their  form  of  skull. 
I  cannot  recall  a  single  instance  among  the  Bongo  where  the 
skull  was  of  the  long  but  narrow  shape  that  is  all  but  uni- 
versal among  the  Dinka.  Of  many  of  these  Bongo  that  I 
measured,  I  should  pronounce  that  they  would  require 
to  be  classified  as  hardly  removed  from  the  lowest  grade  of 
the  Brachycephaly.  They  appear  themselves  to  be  aware  of 
this  characteristic.  I  remember  a  discussion  that  once  arose 
about  a  little  boy,  too  young  to  speak,  as  to  whether  he  was 
a  Dinka  or  a  Bongo.  One  of  the  interpreters,  after  minute 
examination  of  the  proportions  of  the  child's  head,  came  to 
an  immediate,  but  decided,  opinion  that  the  boy  >\  as  a  Bongo, 


264 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


and  in  answer  to  my  inquiry  as  to  the  grounds  on  which  he 
so  confidently  based  his  decision,  he  explained  that  he  judged 
from  the  fact  that  tha  head  was  broad ;  he  went  on,  more- 
over, accompanying  his  words  by  corresponding  gestures,  to 
say  that  the  Bongo  women,  as  soon  as  an  infant  is  born,  press 
its  head  downwards,  but  the  Dinka  mothers,  on  the  contrary, 
compress  the  heads  of  their  babies  from  the  sides.  Now, 
although  it  is  hardly  credible  that  this  manipulation  on  the 
part  of  the  mothers  would  have  any  permanent  influence  on 
the  conformation  of  the  skulls  of  an  entire  nation,  yet  we  may 
accept  the  statement  as  a  significant  proof  of  the  high  esti- 
mation in  which  the  natives  hold  this  attribute  and  token  of 
their  race.  It  has  been  proved  by  experience  that  in  the 
most  diverse  nations  of  the  earth,  mothers  will  always  be 
ready  to  use  external  means  to  promote  as  far  as  they  can 
any  signs  of  nationality  in  their  offspring,  ignorant  of  the 
certainty  that  these  signs  would  of  themselves,  without 
assistance,  be  manifested  eventually.  In  order  to  effect  an 
actual  alteration  in  the  shape  of  the  skull,  such  as  may  be 
observed  amongst  the  Mongolian  and  American  Indian  tribes, 
it  is  necessary  to  employ  continuous  and  forcible  pressure, 
and.  to  bind  the  head  with  straps  and  bandages  from  the 
earliest  infancy. 

The  hair  of  the  Bongo  offers  no  peculiarity,  either  with. 
regard  to  its  culture  or  its  growth,  that  can  be  deemed  of 
any  special  interest ;  it  is  short  and  curly ;  moreover,  it  is 
of  that  woolly  nature  at  which,  in  default  of  anything  better, 
the  theorist  who  propounds  the  doctrine  of  the  independent 
and  yet  of  the  mutual  connection  of  the  heathen  races 
eagerly  clutches.  Corresponding  to  the  numerous  gradations 
in  complexion  and  formation  of  the  skull  are  the  varieties 
in  growth  of  the  hair  which  are  exhibited.  Hair  which  is 
thick  and  frizzly  is  common  amongst  every  race  that  has 
hitherto  been  discovered  on  African  soil,  and  although  there 
are  a  few  unimportant  exceptions  among  tlie  Arab  tribes 


SUPPLY  OF  WATER. 


265 


(the  Sheigieh.)  who  have  settled  in  Nubia,  and  notwith- 
standing that  the  hair  of  the  Ethiopians,  as  well  as  that  of 
the  North  African  people  may  be  termed  curly  more  appro- 
priately than  woolly,  yet  straight  hair  is  nowhere  to  be 
found.  The  real  distinctions,  therefore,  in  the  growth  of  the 
hair  in  the  nations  of  Central  Africa  consist  in  the  colour 
and  length,  which  vary  considerably  in  the  different  races ; 
beards  predominate  with  some,  whilst-  with  others  they  fail 
entirely.  In  common  with  most  other  people  of  the  red  soil, 
the  Bongo  have  hair  which  is  perfectly  black,  but  in  its 
length  it  is  very  different  from  that  of  the  Niam-niam.  On 
the  Niam-niam  frontiers  the  Bongo  have  often  tried  to  imi- 
tate their  neighbours  by  twisting  and  plaiting  their  hair,  but 
their  attempts  have  been  always  a  failure.  Whiskers,  beards, 
and  moustaches  are  cultivated  in  very  rare  cases,  but  the 
hair  never  grows  to  a  length  much  exceeding  half-an-inch. 

Bongoland  is  traversed  from  south  to  north  by  five  im- 
portant tributaries  of  the  Gazelle.  With  these  are  associated 
a  number  of  smaller  rivulets  which  are  not  permanent  streams ; 
nevertheless,  from  the  pools  which  remain  in  their  beds 
throughout  the  dry  season,  they  furnish  a  sufficient  supply 
of  moisture  to  maintain  the  vegetation  of  the  country.  Water 
for  drinking  never  fails,  although  from  November  to  the 
end  of  March  a  fall  of  rain  is  quite  exceptional.  In  cases  of 
necessity  water  can  always  be  procured  without  much  time 
or  trouble  from  those  pools  which  survive  the  periodical 
water-courses  in  the  marshes.  Dearth  as  a  consequence  of 
prolonged  drought  appears  to  be  a  condition  quite  unknown ; 
certainly  it  has  not  occurred  for  the  last  ten  years.  The 
crops  are  far  more  frequently  injured  by  superabundant 
moisture  than  by  drought,  and  the  continuance  of  wide 
inundations  has  been  followed  by  famine.  Everything  seems 
to  suggest  the  thought  how  easily  rice  might  be  cultivated 
in  the  country. 

The  Bongo  are  essentially  an  agricultural  people.  With 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  exception  of  some  occasional  huntiog  and  some  inter- 
mittent periods  devoted  to  fishing,  they  depend  entirely  upon 
the  produce  of  the  soil  for  their  subsistence.  Their  culti- 
vated plants- have  already  been  noticed  in  a  previous  chapter. 
To  agriculture  men  and  women  alike  apply  themselves, 
devoting  their  greatest  attention  to  the  culture  of  their 
sorghum.  The  amount  of  labour  they  bestow  upon  this 
cereal  is  very  large.  The  seed  is  lavishly  broadcast  into 
trenches  which  have  been  carefully  prepared  for  its  reception, 
•  and  when  it  has  germinated  and  made  its  appearance  above 
the  ground,  two  or  three  weeks  are  spent  in  thinning  the 
shoots  and  in  transplanting  them  away  from  the  spots 
where  they  are  too  thick;  a  system  which  experience  has 
shown  can  very  advantageously  be  applied  to  maize.  Very 
few  vegetables  are  cultivated,  but  for  these  the  people  find  a 
variety  of  substitutes  in  the  wild  plants  and  tubers  which 
abound.  Everywhere  throughout  the  tropics  the  Gynan- 
dropsis,  the  Corchorus,  and  the  Gieseckia  grow  close  upon  the 
confines  of  the  abodes  of  men,  and  the  leaves  of  these,  like 
the  leaves  of  the  gourd,  are  frequently  used  as  an  ingredient 
in  soup.  The  fleshy  leaves  of  the  Talimm  roseum  are  served 
up  in  the  same  way  as  our  spinach ;  and  the  tough  foliage 
of  the  Tirna-tree  (Pterocarpus),  as  it  becomes  soft  in  the 
process  of  boiling,  is  employed  as  a  vegetable,  and  is  really 
sweet  and  tender.  The  fruit  of  the  Hymenocardia,  not 
unlike  that  of  the  maple,  has  an  acid  flavour  far  from 
unpleasant,  and  serves  a  similar  purpose. 

During  the  rainy  season  the  country  is  very  prolific  in 
many  varieties  of  funguses.  The  Bongo  have  a  great  fancy 
for  them  ;  they  keep  them  till  they  are  on  the  verge  of 
decay,  and  then  dry  and  pound  them.  They  use  them  for 
the  purpose  of  flavouring  their  sauces,  which  in  consequence 
are  enriched  by  a  haut  gout,  which  without  depreciation  may 
perhaps  be  compared  to  rotten  fish.  Throughout  the  country 
I  never  saw  any  funguses  but  what  were  perfectly  edible. 


FUNGUSES. 


267 


and  some  of  them  I  must  confess  were  very  palatable.  The 
natives  call  them  all  "  Kahoo,"  while  to  the  larger  species 
they  give  the  special  name  of  "  hegba-mboddoh,"  which  is 
synonymous  with  the  Low  German  '*  poggen  staul,"  or  with 
the  English  "  toad-stool."  "  Hegba  "  is  the  name  which  the 
Bongo  give  to  their  little  carved  stools,  and  "  mboddoh  "  is 
the  generic  term  for  all  frogs  and  toads,  and  the  proper 
designation  for  the  Bufo  pandarinus  in  particular.  This 
"hegba-mboddoh,"  which  has  thus  suggested  the  same  idea 
in  very  remote  parts  of  the  world,  is  here  a  gigantic  Poly- 
porus ;  not  unfrequently  specimens  may  be  found  of  it  which 
grow  to  a  height  of  nine  inches,  are  a  foot  in  diameter  and 
weigh  nearly  fifty  pounds.  In  form,  size,  and  colour  they 
are  not  unlike  the  grey  clay  edifices  of  the  Termes  mordax,  of 
which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  hereafter.  The  funguses 
which  are  most  common,  and  which  moreover  are  the  most 
preferred,  are  the  different  species  of  Coprinus,  Marasmius, 
Pvhodosporus,  and  the  tough  but  aromatic  Lentinus. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  great  abundance  of  edible,  if 
not  always  palatable,  fruit  which  is  produced  by  the  com- 
mon trees  of  the  country.  In  clearing  the  woods  for  their 
tillage  the  Bongo  are  always  careful  to  leave  as  many  of 
these  trees  as  they  can,  and  by  thus  sparing  them  they 
preserve  many  a  noble  ornament  to  their  fields,  which  would 
otherwise  be  as  monotonous  as  they  are  flat.  The  Butter- 
tree  and  the  Parkia  are  very  carefully  in  this  way  saved  from 
destruction,  and  form  a  striking  feature  in  many  of  their 
landscapes.  It  is  a  remarkable  peculiarity  of  the  flora  of 
this  region  that  all  the  species  which  are  not  essentially 
shrubby  or  arborescent  strive  for  a  perennial  existence ;  and, 
as  evidence  of  this,  it  may  be  observed  that  the  roots  and 
portions  of  the  stem,  beneath  the  soil  either  develop  into 
bulbs  and  tubers,  or  exhibit  a  determination  to  become 
woody.  Annuals  occupy  a  very  insignificant  place,  and  all 
vegetation  seems  to  be  provided  with  a  means  of  withstand- 


268 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


ing  the  annual  steppe-burning,  and  of  preserving  the  germs 
of  life  until  the  next  period  of  vitality  recurs.  When  their 
corn  provision  is  exhausted,  or  when  there  is  a  failure  in  the 
harvest,  then  do  the  Bongo  find  a  welcome  resource  in  these 
tubers ;  they  subsist  upon  them  for  days  in  succession,  and 
find  in  them  the  staple  of  their  nourishment  whenever  they 
go  upon  their  marches  in  the  wilderness. 

Quite  incredible  is  it  what  the  Bongo  are  able  to  digest. 
Most  of  the  bulbs  and  tubers  are  so  extremely  bitter  that  it 
is  not  until  they  have  been  thoroughly  steeped  in  boiling 
water  or  have  had  their  pungent  matter  mollified  by  being 
roasted  at  a  fire,  that  they  can  be  eaten  at  all ;  they  are  gall 
to  the  taste.  Amongst  these  bitter  bulbs  there  are  two 
which  may  claim  a  special  notice ;  these  are  the  Mandibo 
and  the  Moddobehee.  The  Mandibo  is  a  species  of  Coccinea, 
which  is  nearly  everywhere  very  abundant ;  the  Moddobehee 
(dog's  gum)  is  one  of  the  Eureiandrse ;  they  are  both  Cucur- 
bitacese,  and  both  contain  poisonous  matter.  Impregnated 
with  the  like  bitterness  are  the  rape-like  roots  of  the  Ascle- 
piadese,  the  huge  tubers  of  the  Entada  Wahlbergii,  and  of 
the  Pachyrrhizus ;  so  also  are  the  various  kinds  of  Vernonise 
and  Flemingise,  which  are  dug  up  from  a  foot  below  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil. 

The  natives  can  make  but  little  use  of  the  plants  which 
grow  from  any  of  these  numerous  tubers.  The  diminutive 
Drimia  lifts  its  pretty  red  blossoms  about  a  couple  of  inches 
above  the  rocky  ground,  and  is  a  bulbous  plant  which  be- 
comes edible  after  a  prolonged  boiling. 

Whenever  a  halt  is  made  upon  the  marches  across  the 
wilderness,  the  bearers,  as  soon  as  they  are  liberated  from 
their  burdens,  set  very  vigorously  to  work  and  grub  up  all 
sorts  of  roots  from  the  nearest  thickets.  I  can  myself  vouch 
for  a  fact,  which  might  fairly  be  deemed  incredible,  that 
thirty  Bongo  who  accompanied  me  on  my  return  to  Sabby, 
at  a  time  when  I  had  scarcely  enough  to  keep  me  from 


SMOKING  AMONG  THE  BONGO.  269 

starvation,  subsisted  for  six  consecutive  days  entirely  on  these 
roots,  and  although  we  were  hurrying  on  by  forced  marches, 
they  lost  neither  their  strength  nor  their  spirits.  Their 
constitution  was  radically  sound,  and  they  seemed  formed  to 
defy  the  treatment  of  their  inhospitable  home. 

Already  it  has  been  mentioned  that  there  is  an  entire 
deficiency  of  common  salt  throughout  the  district  of  the 
Gazelle.  The  alkali  that  is  everywhere  its  substitute  is 
obtained  by  soaking  the  ashes  of  the  burnt  wood  of  the 
Greivia  mollis,  a  shrub  common  throughout  Bongoland,  and 
which  is  notoriously  useful  in  another  way  by  the  quantity 
of  bast  which  it  produces. 

Tobacco  is  indispensable  to  the  Bongo,  and  is  universally 
cultivated.  The  species  known  as  Mashirr  (Nicotiana  rustiea) 
is  very  pungent ;  its  small  thick  leaves  are  pounded  in  a 
mortar,  and  are  subsequently  pressed  and  dried  in  moulds. 
From  the  cakes  thus  formed,  the  natives  break  off  fragments 
as  they  require  them,  grind  them  into  powder  by  means  of 
stones,  and  smoke  the  preparation  in  long  pipes  that  have 
very  pretty  clay  bowls.  They  are  addicted  to  smoking  quite 
as  inveterately  as  many  of  the  nations  that  live  in  the  polar 
regions,  and  are  not  content  until  they  are  utterly  stupefied 
by  its  effects.  I  had  a  circumstance  brought  under  my 
notice  which  exhibited  to  me  the  extreme  to  which  they  can 
carry  their  abuse  of  the  narcotic :  upon  one  of  our  marches  a 
Bongo  man  had  indulged  to  such  excess,  and  had  inhaled  the 
pungent  fume  so  long,  that  he  fell  senseless  into  a  camp- 
fire,  and  was  taken  up  so  severely  burnt  that  he  had  to  be 
carried  by  his  comrades  on  a  litter  for  the  remainder  of  the 
journey. 

The  Bongo  fashion  of  smoking  is  even  more  disgusting 
than  that  which  has  been  already  described  as  prevalent 
amongst  the  Dinka.  In  the  same  manner  as  with  them,  the 
pipe  is  passed  from  hand  to  hand,  but  the  lump  of  bast  that 
intercepts  the  pungent  oil  is  not  placed  in  the  receptacle  of 


270 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  stem,  but  is  put  in  the  mouth  of  the  smoker,  and  together 
with  the  pipe  is  passed  from  one  person  to  another.  The 
habit  of  chewing  tobacco  is  adopted  as  much  by  the  Bongo 
as  by  the  Mohammedan  inhabitants  of  Nubia ;  but  the 
custom  is  so  universal  that  there  would  seem  to  be  ample 
justification  for  the  belief  that  it  is  indigenous  rather  than 
what  has  been  acquired  from  foreigners.  The  practice  in 
which  the  Bongo  indulges  of  placing  his  tobacco  quid  behind 
his  ear  is  very  repulsive. 

It  is  to  their  indifference  to  cattle-breeding,  like  what 
is  practised  so  extensively  by  the  Dinka,  that  the  Bongo 
owe  their  comparatively  peaceful  relations  with  the  so-called 
"  Turks."  It  is  to  the  same  cause  that  the  latter  are  indebted 
for  the  sluggish  measure  of  opposition  shown  them  by  their 
vassals.  The  domestic  animals  of  the  Bongo  are  poultry, 
dogs,  and  goats  ;  sheep  being  almost  as  rare  as  cattle.  The 


Bongo- Goat. 


goats  are  unlike  those  of  the  Dinka,  but  are  of  a  breed  quite 
common  throughout  these  regions  of  Central  Africa.  Not 
only  did  I  see  them  amongst  the  Mittoo  and  Madi,  but  like- 


BONGO  GOATS. 


271 


wise  among  the  Babuckur,  and  even  in  the  country  of  the 
Monbuttoo,  whither  they  had  been  brought  by  the  equatorial 
nations  whom  the  Monbuttoo  simply  style  the  "  Momvoo." 
These  goats,  like  the  Dinka  sheep,'  are  distinguished  by 
a  hairy  appendage  from  the  breast  and  shoulders,  and  by  a 
short  stiff  mane,  which  runs  right  along  the  ridge  of  the 
back  to  the  small  erect  tail.  The  frontal  is  round,  and 
projects  considerably  beyond  the  base  of  the  nasal  bone,  and 
the  horns  are  very  strong  and  but  slightly  curved.  The 
ordinary  colour  of  these  pretty  animals  is  a  light  fawn  or 
chamois-brown,  the  mane  being  very  dark.    I  occasionally 


Short-bodied  Goat  of  tfce  Bongo. 


found  the  Bongo  in  possession  of  another  breed  which  I  met 
with  nowhere  else,  and  which  is  probably  merely  a  cross 
with  the  Dinka  goat.  It  has  a  remarkably  short  and  plump 
body,  and  is  generally  of  a  pepper-and-salt  colour.  The 
coat  is  somewhat  longer  and  more  shaggy  than  that  of  the 
other  breed,  and  besides  the  mane-like  appendage  in  front 
the  hind  quarters  are  also  covered  with  long  rough  hair. 

The  Bongo  dogs,  with  regard  to  size,  are  between  the 
small  Niam-niam  race  and  the  Dinka  breed,  which  corresponds 


272 


THE  HEAET  OP  AFRICA. 


piore  nearly  to  the  common  pariah  of  Egypt.  On  account 
of  the  indiscriminate  crossing  of  the  races,  a  dog  of  pure 
Bongo  breed  is  somewhat  rare ;  its  chief  characteristics  are 
a  reddish  tan  colour,  short  erect  ears,  and  a  bushy  tail  like  a 
fox's  brush.  Their  greatest  peculiarity  appeared  to  me  to 
be  the  bristling  of  their  hair,  which  at  every  provocation 
stands  up  along  the  back  and  neck  like  that  of  an  angry  cat. 
The  bushiness  of  the  tail  distinguishes  the  breed  from  the 
smooth-tailed  Dinka  dog,  and  from  that  of  the  Niam-niam,  of 
which  the  tails  are  as  curly  as  pigtails. 

Although  the  Bongo  are  not  over  choice  in  their  food,  they 
persistently  abstain  from  eating  dog's  flesh,  a  practice  to 
which  their  southern  and  south-eastern  neighbours  are  noto- 
riously addicted ;  in  fact,  they  show  as  much  abhorrence  at 
the  idea  as  they  would  at  devouring  human  flesh  itself. 
They  have  a  curious  superstition  about  dead  dogs.  I  was 
about  to  bury  one  of  my  dogs  that  had  recently  died,  and 
some  of  the  men  came  and  implored  me  to  desist  from  my 
intention,  since  the  result  would  assuredly  be  tliat  no  rain 
would  fall  upon  their  seeds.  For  this  reason  all  the  Bongo 
simply  throw  their  dead  dogs  out  into  the  open  fields. 

At  some  seasons,  especially  at  the  end  of  the  rainy  months, 
fishing  and  hunting  offer  productive  sources  for  obtaining 
the  means  of  subsistence.  Hunting  is  sometimes  practised 
by  independent  individuals  going  out  separately;  but  at 
other  times  it  takes  the  forjja  of  an  extensive  hattue,  in  which 
the  men  belonging  to  a  whole  district  will  combine  to  take  a 
share.  Occasionally,  too,  a  rich  booty  is  obtained  from  the 
trenches  and  snares.  Nets  are  used  in  all  the  hattues  for 
game,  and  the  Bongo  devote  as  much  attention  to  the  con- 
struction of  these  nets  as  they  do  to  the  weaving  of  their 
fish-snares  and  basket-pots.  Their  fishery  is  principally 
limited  to  the  winter  months. 

Elephant-hunting  has  for  the  last  twelve  years  been 
among  the  things  of  the  past.    It  is  only  the  oldest  of  the 


HUNTING-SNARES. 


273 


men — and  here  the  number  of  the  men  that  are  really  ohl 
is  very  small — who  appear  to  have  any  distinct  recollection 
of  it  at  all.  The  huge  lance-heads,  which  are  now  only 
weapons  of  luxury  in  the  possession  of  the  wealthy,  or 'upon 
some  rare  occasions  used  for  buffalo-hunting,  are  the  sole 
memorials  of  the  abundance  of  ivory  of  which  Petherick,  as  an 
eye-witness,  has  given  so  striking  a  description.  The  snares 
by  which  the  Bongo  succeed  in  catching  the  smaller  kinds 
'of  game  generally  consist  of  the  stem  of  a  tree  balanced 
horizontally  by  means  of  ropes.*  A  spot  which  the  game  is 
known  to  haunt  is  selected  for  the  erection  of  these  snares ; 
a  hedge,  or  some  sort  of  enclosure,  is  set  up  on  each  side  of 
the  tree  so  that  the  game  may  be  obRged  to  run  underneath  ; 
it  is  arranged  so  that  the  animals  as  they  pass  tread  upon  a 
kind  of  noose  or  slip-knot  which  slackens  the  ropes  by  which 
the  tree  is  suspended,  and  the  falling  weight  crushes  and 
kills  the  game  below.  The  numbers  of  snares  of  this  descrip- 
tion which  are  found  in  the  bush-thickets  is  a  sufficient  proof 
of  their  efficacy.  The  smaller  species  of  antelopes,  ichneu- 
mons, civets,  genets,  wild  cats,  servals,  and  caracals,  are  all 
in  turn  caught  by  this  stratagem. 

Hunting  on  a  minor  scale  is  a  very  favourite  recreation, 
and  the  children  find  a  daily  amusement  in  catching  rats 
and  field-mice.  They  weave  baskets  in,  the  form  of  long 
tubes,  which  they  lay  flat  upon  the  ground  in  the  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  the  mouse-holes;  they  then  commence  a 
regular  hattue,  when  the  scared  mice,  scampering  back  to 
regain  their  homes,  run  through  the  stubble,  and  often  rush 
into  the  open  traps,  where,  like  fish  in  a  weir-basket,  they 
are  easily  secured.  In  this  w^ay  the  Bongo  boys  catch  con- 
siderable quantities  of  meriones,  Mus  gentilis,  and  M.  har- 
harm,  which  they  tie  together  by  their  tails  in  clusters  of 

*  An  illustration  of  this  contrivance  appears  in  Petherick's  '  Travels  in, 
Central  Africa,'  vol.  i.  p.  255. 
Vol.  I.— 20 


274  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

about  a  dozen,  and  barter  them  to  each  other  as  dainty 
morsels.  "These  are  our  cows,"  they  would  shout  to  me 
with  great  glee  whenever  I  met  them  returning  after  their 
sport  had  been  successful.  Another  use  which  is  made  of  the 
mice  which  are  captured  by  this  simple  artifice  is  to  employ 
them  for  a  bait  for  securing  what  they  esteem  the  especial 
delicacy  of  roast  cat.  On  the  narrow  paths  which  traverse 
the  steppes  like  rifts  in  the  long  grass,  they  construct 
diminutive  huts  out  of  some  twisted  reeds ;  by  placing  the 
mice  inside  these  they  are  very  often  able  to  entice  the  cats 
into  a  snare. 

With  the  exception  of  human  flesh  and  the  flesh  of  dogs, 
the  Bongo  seem  to  consider  all  animal  substance  fit  for 
eating,  in  whatever  condition  it  may  be  found.  The  putrefy- 
ing remnant  of  a  lion's  feast,  which  lies  in  the  obscurity  of  a 
forest  and  is  only  revealed  by  the  kites  and  vultures  circling 
in  the  air  above,  is  to  them  a  welcome  discovery.  That  meat 
is  "  high "  is  a  guarantee  for  its  being  tender,  and  they  deem 
it  in  that  condition  not  only  more  strengthening  than  when 
it  is  fresh,  but  likewise  more  easy  of  digestion.  There  is, 
however,  no  accounting  for  taste,  certainly  not  with  the 
Bongo,  who  do  not  recoil  from  the  most  revolting  of  food. 
Whenever  my  cattle  were  slaughtered,  I  always  saw  my 
bearers  eagerly  contending  for  the  half-digested  contents  of 
the  stomach,  like  the  Esquimaux,  whose  only  ideas  of  vege- 
tables appears  to  be  what  they  obtain  from  the  contents  of 
the  paunches  of  their  reindeers  ;  and  I  ha-s  e  seen  the  Bongo 
calmly  strip  off  the  disgusting  amphistoma-worms  which 
literally  line  the  stomachs  of  all  the  cattle  of  this  region, 
and  put  them  into  their  mouths  by  handfuls.  After  that, 
it  was  not  a  matter  of  surprise  to  me  to  find  that  the  Bongo 
reckons  as  game  everything  that  creeps  or  crawls,  from 
rats  and  mice  to  snakes,  and  that  he  is  not  particular  what 
he  eats,  from  the  carrion  vulture  to  the  mangy  hyaena,  or 
from  the  fat  earth-scorpions  (Heterometrus  falmatus)  to  the 


BONGO  DWELLINGS. 


275 


caterpillars  of  the  winged  termites  with  their  oily  beetle- 
bodies. 

Having  thus  dilated  with  more  minuteness  than  elsewhere 
upon  the  external  features  of  Bongo  life,  such  as  their  agri- 
culture, hunti'ng,  and  fishing,  I  may  proceed  to  call  attention 
to  those  arts  by  which,  even  in  this  low  grade  of  develop- 
ment, man  seeks  to  ameliorate  and  embellish  his  existence. 

First  of  all,  the  dwelling-place  may  demand  our  notice, 
that  which  binds  every  man  more  or  less  to  the  soil  which 
affords  him  his  subsistence — that  family  nucleus,  from  which 
the  wide-branching  tree  of  human  society  has  derived  its 
origin. 

In  the  period  when  the  Khartoomers  first  made  their  way 
into  the  country,  the  Bongo,  quite  unlike  the  other  tribes, 
inhabited  extensive  villages,  which,  similar  to  the  present 
Seribas,  were  encompassed  by  a  palisade.  Neither  towns 
nor  villages  are  now  to  be  seen,  and  the  districts  which  are 
occupied  at  all  are  only  marked  by  scattered  enclosures  and 
little  gatherings  of  huts,  as  in  the  country  of  the  Dinka  and 
the  Niam-niam.  Very  rarely  are  more  than  five  or  six 
families  resident  in  the  same  locality,  so  that  it  is  almost  an 
exaggeration  to  speak  of  their  being  villages  in  any  sense. 
The  communities  in  past  times  seem  to  have  had  a  preference 
for  gathering  round  some  great  tamarind,  ficus,  or  butter- 
tree,  which  often  still  survives  and  constitutes  the  only  relic 
of  habitations  which  have  long  fallen  to  decay ;  and  even  to 
the  present  time  the  Bongo  appear  to  retain  this  partiality,  and 
more  often  than  not  they  may  be  found  beneath  the  natural 
shade  of  a  spreading  roof  of  foliage,  enjoying  the  light  and 
space  which  are  prohibited  to  their  cramped  and  narrow 
dwellings.  The  ground  for  a  considerable  circuit  about  the 
huts  is  all  well  cleared  and  levelled,  its  surface  being  the 
general  scene  of  labour  on  which  all  the  women  perform 
their  ordinary  domestic  duties.  The  corn  is  there  thrashed 
and  winnowed;  there  it  is  brayed  in  the  wooden  mortars 


276 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


or  pounded  by  the  mill;  there  are  the  leaves  of  the 
tobacco  plant  laid  out  to  dry ;  there  stand  the  baskets  with 
the  loads  of  mushrooms  or  supply  of  fruit ;  and  there  may 
be  seen  the  accumulated  store  of  nutritious  roots.  Dogs 
and  poultry  alike  seem  to  revel  in  security  under  the  ma- 
jestic covering,  while  the  little  children  at  their  play  com^ 
plete  the  idyllic  picture  of  life  in  Central  Africa.* 

Upon  the  erection  of  their  dwellings  there  is  no  people  in 
the  Gazelle  district  who  bestow  so  much  pains  as  the  Bongo. 
Although  they  -  invariably  adopt  the  conical  shape,  they 
allow  themselves  considerable  diversity  in  the  forms  they 
use.  The  general  plan  of  their  architecture  has  already 
been  sketched.  The  materials  they  employ  are  upright  tree- 
stems,  plaited  faggots,  canes  of  the  bamboo,  clay  from  the 
mushroom-shaped  white-ant  hills,  and  tough  grass  and  the 
bast  of  the  Grewia. 

The  diameter  of  the  dwellings  rarely  exceeds  twenty-feet, 
the  height  generally  being  about  the  same.  The  entrance 
consists  of  a  hole  so  small  that  it  is  necessary  to  creep 
through  in  order  to  get  inside ;  and  the  door  consists  of  a 
hurdle  swung  upon  two  posts  so  as  to  be  pushed  backwards 
and  forwards  at  pleasure.  The  clay  floor  in  the  interior  is 
always  perfectly  level ;  it  is  made  secure  against  damp  as 
well  as  against  the  entrance  of  white  ants  by  having  been 
flattened  down  by  the  women  trampling  upon  broad  strips 
of  bark  laid  upon  it.  The  common  sleeping-place  of  the 
parents  and  smaller  children  is  on  the  floor.  The  bedding 
generally  consists  only  of  skins,  the  Bgngo  having  little  care 
for  mats.  For  the  pillow  of  the  family  they  ordinarily  use 
a  branch  of  a  tree  smoothed  by  being  stripped  of  its  bark. 

In  every  dwelling-place  is  found  a  conical  receptacle  for 
corn,  named  the  gallotoh,"  which  is  elevated  on  piles,  vary- 
ing in  height,  so  as  to  protect  the  provision  from  the  damp  of 


*  For  a  pictorial  representation  of  this  scene,  vide  vol.  ii. 


ABUI^  DANCE  OF  IRON. 


277 


the  soil  or  from  the  ravages  of  rats  or  white  ants.  Magazines 
of  this  kind  for  the  reserve  of  corn  are  in  general  use 
throughout  Africa,  from  the  Kumboo  of  Damerghoo  in  the. 
Central  Soudan,  right  into  the  country  of  the  Kaffirs  and 
Bechuanas. 

All  the  dwellings  of  the  Bongo,  whether  large  or  small, 
are  marked  by  one  characteristic,  which  might  almost  be 
represented  as  a  national  feature.  The  peak  of  their  huts  is 
always  furnished  with  a  circular  pad  of  straw,  very  carefully 
made,  which  serves  as  a  seat,  and  from  which  it  is  possible 
to  take  a  survey  of  the  country,  covered  with  its  tall  growth 
of  corn.  The  name  of  "  gony "  is  given  to  this  elevation, 
which  is  surrounded  by  six  or  eight  curved  bits  of  wood 
projecting  as  though  the  roof  were  furnished  with  horns.  It 
is  peculiar  to  the  huts  of  the  Bongo. 

Iron  is  found  in  such  quantities  throughout  the  region 
that  naturally  the  inhabitants  devote  much  of  their  atten- 
tion to  its  manipulation;  its  very  abundance  apparently 
secures  them  an  advantage  over  the  Dinka.  Although, 
according  to  our  conceptions  they  would  be  described 
as  utterly  deficient  in  tools  and  apparatus,  still  they 
produce  some  very  wonderful  results,  even  surpassing  the 
Dyoor  in  skill.  With  their  rude  bellows  and  a  hammer 
which,  more  commonly  than  not,  is  merely  a  round  ball  ot 
pebble-stone  (though  occasionally  it  may  be  a  little  pyramid 
of  iron  without  a  handle)  upon  an  anvil  of  gneiss  or  granite, 
with  an  ordinary  little  chisel  and  a  pair  of  tongs  consisting 
of  a  mere  split  piece  of  green  wood,  they  contrive  to  fabricate 
articles  which  would  bear  comparison  with  the  productions 
of  an  English  smith.* 

The  season  when  opportunity  is  found  for  putting  the  iron- 
works in  motion  is  after  the  harvest  has  been  housed  and  the 
rains  are  over.    Already,  in  a  previous  chapter,!  iron-work, 

*  Vide  Petherick, '  Egypt,  the  Soudan,'  &c.,  p.  395. 
t  Vide  Chap.  V.  p.  206,  seq. 


278 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


as  produced  by  the  Dyoor,  has  been  noticed,  bat  the  Bongo 
have  a  system  considerably  more  advanced,  which  appears 
worthy  of  a  brief  description.  Their  smelting  apparatus  is 
an  erection  of  clay,  generally  about  five  feet  in  height, 

containing  in  its  interior 
three  distinct  compartments.* 
These  are  all  of  the  same  size, 
that  in  the  middle  being 
filled  with  alternate  layers  of 
fuel  and  ore.  This  centre 
chamber  is  separated  from  the 
lower  by  means  of  a  kind  of 
frame  resting  on  a  circular 
projection ;  and  it  is  divided 
from  the  chamber  above  by 
a  narrow  neck  of  communica- 
tion. The  highest  and  lowest 
of  the  divisions  are  used  foi 
fuel  only.  Bound  the  base  ol 
the  inferior  chamber  there  are 
four  holes,  into  which  the  tewels  "  or  pokers  are  introduced, 
and  to  which  bellows  are  applied  to  increase  the  intensity  of 
the  combustion ;  there  is  a  fifth  hole,  which  can  be  stopped 
with  clay  as  often  as  may  be  desired,  and  which  serves  to 
allow  the  metal  to  be  raked  out  after  it  has  trickled  down 
into  the  cavity  below  the  frame. 

The  most  important  of  the  iron  productions  are  designed 
for  the  trade  that  the  Bongo  carry  on  with  the  tribes  that 
dwell  in  the  north,  and  which  some  time  since  was  very 
active.  The  raw  iron  is  exhibited  in  three  separate  shapes : 
one  is  named  "  mahee,"  being  spear-heads  of  one  or  two  feet 
long,  corresponding  exactly  with  what  has  been  mentioned 
as  common  with  the  Dyoor;   the  second  is  known  as 


*  The  woodcut  represents  a  vertical  section  of  one  of  these  smelting- 
ovens. 


BONGO  MONEY.  279 

'  loggoh  kullutty,"  and  is  simply  a  lot  of  black,  ill-formed 
spades;  the  third  is  called  distinctively  "loggoh,"  consisting 
of  regular  spades,  which,  under  the  market  appellation  of 
"  melot,"  have  a  wide  sale  everywhere  along  the  course  of 
the  Upper  Nile. 

The  "  loggoh  kullutty  "  is  the  circulating  medium  of  the 
Bongo,  the  only  equivalent  which  Central  Africa  possesses 
for  money  of  any  description ;  but,  rough-shaped  as  it  is,  it 
seems  really  to  answer  in  its  way  the  purpose  of  regular 
coin.  According  to  Major  Denham,  who  visited  the  Central 
Soudan  in  1824,  there  were  at  that  time  some  iron  pieces 
which  were  circulated  as  currency  in  Loggon  on  the  Lower 
Shary,  answering  to  what  is  now  in  use  among  the  Bongo; 
but  at  the  period  of  Barth's  visit  all  traces  of  their  use  had 
long  disappeared.  The  "  loggoh  kullutty  "  is  formed  in  flat 
circles,  varying  in  diameter  from  10  to  12  inches.    On  one 


Iron  money. 

Loggoh  Kulluty.  Loggoh  melot. 

edge  there  is  a  short  handle  ;  on  the  opposite  there  is  attached 
a  projecting  limb,  something  in  the  form  of  an  anchor.  In 
this  shape  the  metal  is  stored'  up  in  the  treasures  of  the  rich, 
and  up  to  the  present  time  it  serves  as  well  as  the  lance- 
heads  and  spades  for  cash  and  for  exchanges,  being  available 
not  only  for  purchases,  but  for  the  marriage  portions  which 
every  suitor  is  pledged  to  assign.  The  axe  of  the  Bongo 
consists  of  a  flat,  cumbrous  wedge  of  iron,  into  the  thick  end 
of  which  is  inserted  a  knobbed  handle ;  it  is  an  instrument 


280 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


differing  in  no  particular  from  what  may  be  seen  through- 
out Central  Africa. 

Besides  these  rough  exhibitions  of  their  craft,  the  Bongo 
produce  arms,  tools,  and  ornaments  of  admirable  quality,  and, 
at  the  instance  of  the  controllers  of 
the  Seribas,  have  manufactured  chains 
and  manacles  for  the  slave-traffic 
Very  elegant,  it  might  almost  be 
said  artistic,  is  the  work  displayed 
on  the  points  of  their  arrows  and 
lances.  The  keen  and  (to  use  a 
botanical  expression)  the  "  awny  " 
barbs  and  edges  of  these  instruments, 
to  any  one  who  is  aware  of  the  simple 
means  of  production  in  their  reach, 
must  be  quite  an  enigma.  The  lances 
are  readily  recognised  by  their  shapes, 
and  may  be  classified  in  a  threefold 
way.  First,  there  is  the  common 
lancet-formed  spear-head,  which  is 
known  as  "  mahee ;"  then,  secondly, 
there  is  the  "golo,"  a  hastate  sort 
of  spear,  with  long  iron  barbs  below 
the  point  extending  along  the  stem 
to  which  the  wooden  stock  is  attached ; 
whilst  the  third  description  is  called 
Bongo  lances.  makrigga,"  and  consists  of  a  spike, 

the  stem  of  which  is  covered  with  a  number  of  teeth 
symmetrically  arranged  along  it,  sometimes  upwards  and 
sometimes  downwards.  This  makrigga  is  often  merely  an 
article  of  show,  and  the  technical  skill  of  the  smith  is  concen- 
trated ^ipon  its  design.  The  name  of  makri^rga  is  appro- 
priated to  it  from  the  Bandia  dumetorum*  a  prickly  shrub, 


*  Petlieriek  in  his  '  Travels,'  vol.  i.  p.  1G4,  refers  to  this  elirub,  and  designates 
one  of  its  branches  by  the  name  of  "  ebony.'* 


BONGO  ORNAMENTS. 


281 


which  is  quite  common  in  the  district :  seeming  to  'indicate 
that  the  pattern  is  derived  from  an  object  in  nature,  it  aifords 
a  fresh  illustration  of  the  view,  that  all  human  arts  are  only 
imitations  of  what  may  be  observed  in  the  free  fields  of  a 
wide  creation. 

Equal  care  is  bestowed  upon  the  production  of  the  iron 
and  copper  ornaments  which  are  worn  and  the  cutlery  which 
is  used  by  the  women.  For  the  purpose  of  plucking  out 
their  eyebrows  and  eyelashes,  they  employ  a  pair  of  little 
pincers  called  "peenoh,"  of  which  an  illustration  is  here  in- 


ing  out  their  eyelashes.  Knife  of  the  Bongo  women. 

troduced.  Quite  peculiar  to  the  Bongo  women  are  their 
tibbah,"  or  elongated  oval  knives,  v^ith  handles  at  either 
end,  which  are  sharpened  on  both  edges,  and  which  are  often 
very  elaborate  in  their  workmanship.  These  knives  are  in 
constant  use  for  all  domestic  purposes,  being  of  especial  ser- 
vice in  peeling  their  tubers*  and  in  slicing  their  gourds 
and  cucumbers.  The  rings,  the  bells,  the  clasps,  the  but- 
tons, whatever  they  affix  to  their  projecting  lips  or  attach 
to  the  rims  of  their  ears,  the  lancet-shaped  hair-pins,  which 


282 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


appear  indispensable  to  the  decoration  of  the  crown  of  their 
head  and  to  the  parting  of  their  locks,  all  are  fabricated  to 
supply  the  demands  of  the  Bongo  worn  en- s  toilet. 

The  decoration  of  which  the  men  are  proudest  is  the 
"  dangabor,"  which  simply  means  "  rings  one  above  another." 
The  Dinka  and  the  Dyoor  both  have  an  ornament  very  simi- 
lar to  this,  composed  of  accumulated  rings,  which  cover  the 
arm  below  the  elbow  ;  but  the  Bongo  finish  off  their  article 
with  much  more  elaborate  work.    Each  separate  ring  is  fur- 


The  Dangabor  and  a  single  ring. 


nished  with  a  boss  of  a  height  and  strength  to  correspond 
with  the  ring  next  to  it,  the  rings  themselves  being  forged 
so  as  to  become  gradually  larger  in  proportion  as  they  are 
farther  from  the  wrist.  The  arm  is  thus  covered  with  what 
may  be  described  as  a  sleeve  of  mail,  each  ring  of  which 
can  be  turned  round  or  displaced  at  pleasure. 

Hardly  inferior  to  the  skill  of  the  Bongo  in  the  working  of 
iron  is  their  dexterity  in  wood-carving.  Perhaps  the  most 
striking  specimens  of  their  art  in  this  way  may  be  noticed  in 
the  little  low  four-legged  seats  or  stoole  which  are  found  in 


WOODEN  UTENSILS  OF  THE  BONGO. 


283 


every  household,  and  are  called  "  hegba."  These  are  invari- 
ably made  from  a  single  block,  the  wood  chosen  for  the  pur- 
pose being  that  of  the  Goll-tree  (Prosojois  lanceolata,  Benth.). 
which  is  of  a  chestnut  brown,  and  after  use  acquires  an  excel- 


Bongo  stool. 


lent  polish;  they  are  used  only  by  the  women,  who  are 
continually  to  be  seen  sitting  on  them  in  front  of  their  huts, 
but  they  are  altogether  avoided  by  the  men,  who  regard 
every  raised  seat  as  an  effeminate  luxury. 

Other  articles  of  their  fabric  in  wood  are  the  pestles,  the 
troughs  for  oil-pressing,  the  flails  for  threshing  corn,  and, 
most  remarkable  of  all,  the  goblet-shaped  mortars  in  which 
the  corn  is  bruised  before  it  is  ground  into  flour  upon  the 
grinding-stones.  Yery  graceful  in  shape  are  these  mortars, 
not  unlike  a  drinking-goblet  with  a  cut  stem  ;  they  are  not 
sunk  below  the  ground,  as  is  ordinarily  the  case  with  those  of 
the  Dinka  and  Dyoor,  but  they  can  be  removed  whenever  it 
is  requisite  from  place  to  place.  Their  height  is  about  thirty 
inches.  Mortars  of  very  similar  design  were  noticed  by 
Barth  amongst  the  Musgoo,  and  they  are  also  used  by  the 
Ovambo,  the  Makololo,  and  other  negro  nations.  They  are 
worked  by  two  women  at  once,  who  alternately  pound  away 
with  heavy  pestles  in  a  regular  African  fashion,  which  has 
been  long  immortalised  by  the  pictorial  representations  of 
ancient  Egypt.  Very  cleverly,  too,  do  the  Bongo  cut  spoons 
of  very  choice  design  out  of  horn,  of  the  same  shape  as  may 
be  found  in  nearly  every  market  in  Europe. 


284 


THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 


Consequent  upon  the  oppression  to  which  the  Bongo  have 
now  for  years  been  subject,  and  the  remorseless  appropriation 
of  all  their  energies  by  the  intruders,  very  many  of  the  primi- 
tive habits  of  the  people  w^ere  disappearing ;  and  at  the  time 
of  my  visit  my  attention  was  rather  arrested  by  what  were 
memorials  of  a  bygone  and  happier  condition  of  things, 
than  by  anything  that  was  really  done  under  my  eyes.  Just 
as  in  the  Central  Soudan,  in  Bornoo,  and  in  the  Tsad  coun- 
tries, so  here  also  the  destructive  power  of  Islamism  has 
manifested  itself  by  obliterating,  in  comparatively  a  brief 
space  of  time,  all  signs  of  activity  and  all  traces  of  progress 
of  any.  kind.  Wherever  it  prevails,  it  annihilates  the 
chief  distinctions  of  race,  it  effaces  the  best  vestiges  of 
the  past,  and  extends,  as  it  'were,  a  new  desert  upon  the 
face  of  the  land  which  it  overruns.  Those  who  have  been 
eye-witnesses  of  the  state  of  things  when  the  intruders  first 
broke  in  upon  the  country,  gave  me  still  further  details  of 
what  had  been  the  special  industri(^s  of  the  people. 

In  the  villages  there  are  found  very  frequently  whole  rows  of 
figures  carved  out  of  wood  and  arranged  either  at  the  entrances 
of  the  palisaded  enclosures,  forming,  as  it  were,  a  decoration 
for  the  gateway,  or  set  up  besides  the  huts  of  the  "  Nyare  " 
(chiefs),  as  memorials,  to  immortalise  the  renown  of  some 
departed  character.  In  Moody,  a  district  towards  the 
west,  I  came  across  the  remains  (still  in  a  perfect  state 
of  preservation)  of  an  erection  of  this  sort,  which  had  been 
reared  above  the  grave  of  the  Bongo  chieftain  Yanga.  Large 
as  life,  the  rough-hewn  figures  represented  the  chief  followed 
in  procession  by  his  wives  and  children,  apparently  issuing 
from  the  tomb.  The  curious  conception  of  the  separate  indi- 
viduals, and  the  singular  mode  in  which  they  were  rendered 
by  the  artist,  awakened  my  keenest  interest.  The  illustra- 
tion which  is  subjoined  may  be  accepted  as  a  faithful  repre- 
sentation of  the  first  rude  efforts  of  savages  in  the  arts  of 
sculpture. 


i 


BONGO  GRAVES.  285 

Plastic  representations  of  men  are  known  generally  by  the 
name  of  "  Moiogohgyee  :"  when  I  first  saw  them,  I  was  under 
the  impression  that  tliey  must  be  idols,  similar  to  what  the 
Fetish- worship  has  introduced  into  the  western  coasts,  but 


Yanga's  grave. 


1  soon  satisfied  myself  of  my  misconception  in  this  respect. 
The  true  design  of  these  wooden  figures  is  simply  to  be 
a  memorial  of  some  one  who  has  departed  this  life :  this  is 
proved  by  the  term  "  Moiagoh  Komarah/'  i.e.,  the  figure  of 
the  wife,  which  is  applied  to  an  image  raised  by  a  surviving 
husband  to  the  pious  memory  of  his  departed  wife,  and  which 
is  set  up  in  the  hut  as  a  species  of  Penates.  However  rude 
these  attempts  must  be  pronounced,  they  nevertheless  reveal 
a  kind  of  artistic  power  certainly  far  from  contemptible ;  at 
any  rate,  the  very  labour  bestowed  upon  them  indicates  the 
appreciation  which  the  artist  entertained  for  his  work.  Th-e 
Bongo,  for  their  own  part,  regard  their  w^ooden  images  as 
incomparably  superb,  and  persuade  themselves  that  the 


286 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


likenesses  of  those  who  are  represented  are  perfect.  To 
complete  the  illusion,  they  very  often  deck  the  figure  with 
bead-necklaces  and  rings  and  affix  som^  hair  over  the  appro- 
priate parts  of  the  body.  Travellers  in  Central  Africa  have 
narrated  tTiat  they  have  seen  figures  of  wood  corresponding 
to  what  I  have  described,  but  although  they  have  almost 
universally  taken  them  for  carved  deities,  I  would  venture 
to  suggest  that  in  all  probability  they  are  elsewhere  monu- 
ments of  the  dead,  in  the  same  way  as  among  the  Bongo. 

In  addition  it  may  be  mentioned  that  a  custom  exists  of 
raising  a  monument  of  this  kind  to  preserve  the  memory  of 
any  male  person  who  has  been  murdered.  I  was  made 
acquainted  with  this  circumstance  by  the  mouth  of  one  of  the 
national  authorities,  who  depicted  to  me  the  peculiar  custom 
of  his  fathers  in  a  narrative  to  the  following  effect.  He  said 
that  murder  and  manslaughter  used  to  be  the  order  of  the 
day  at  all  their  festivals  and  drinking-bouts ;  when  the  har- 
vest had  been  abundant  and  the  granaries  were  well-stored 
with  corn,  there  used  to  be  no  bounds  to  their  licentious- 
ness ;  there  was  no  respect  for  the  Nyare,  and  his  words 
were  disregarded  amidst  the  blows  of  the  Nogarra.  Now 
the  "  Turks "  would  punish  a  murderer  by  carrying  off  his 
wife  and  children,  and  compel  him  to  pay  a  heavy  fine 
in  iron  and  make  some  compensation  to  the  relatives: 
but  formerly  the  friends  would  take  the  law  into  their 
own  hands,  and  proceed  to  exact  personal  punishment, 
though  they  had  to  set  to  work  very  warily  if  they  would 
keep  themselves  out  of  difficulty.  When  anyone  discovered 
that  either  his  friend,  or  it  might  be  his  brother,  or  per- 
haps his  wife,  had  been  killed,  and  the  criminal  could  not 
be  detected,  it  was  no  unknown  device  to  prepare  before- 
hand an  image  carefully  representing  the  murdered  person, 
and  very  often  the  likeness  would  be  singularly  perfect.  He 
would  then  invite  all  the  men  to  a  feast,  at  which  the  spiri- 
tuous "  legyee  "  would  be  freely  circulated  ;  and  then,  when 


• 


BONGO  MUSIC. 


287 


the  excitement  was  at  its  height,  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
singing  and  dancing,  he  would  unexpectedly  introduce  the 
figure  that  had  been  prepared.  The  apparition  would  be 
sure  to  work  its  effect ;  the  culprit  would  not  fail  to  be 
betrayed,  as  he  cowed  and  exhibited  his  wish  to  slink  away. 
Having  thus  detected  the  offender,  the  injured  party  could 
deal  with  him  as  he  pleased. 

The  Bongo,  in  their  way,  are  enthusiastic  lovers  of  music ; 
and  although  their  instruments  are  of  a  very  primitive 
description,  and  they  are  unacquainted  even  with  the  pretty 
little  guitar  of  the  Niam-niam,  which  is  constructed  on  per- 
fectly correct  acoustic  principles,  yet  they  may  be  seen  at  any 
hour  of  the  day  strumming  away  and  chanting  to  their  own 
performances.  The  youngsters,  down  to  the  small  boys,  are 
all  musicians.  Without  much  trouble,  and  with  the  most 
meagre  materials,  they  contrive  to  make  little  flutes ;  they 
are  accustomed  also  to  construct  a  monochord,  which  in  its 
design  reminds  one  of  the  instrument  which  (known  as  the 
"  gubo  "  of  the  Zulus)  is  common  throughout  the  tribes  of 
Southern  Africa.  This  consists  of  a  bow  of  bamboo,  with  the 
string  tightly  strained  across  it,  and  this  is  struck  by  a  slen- 
der slip  of  split  bamboo.  The  sounding  board  is  not,  how- 
ever, made  of  a  calabash  attached  to  the  ground,  but  the 
mouth  of  the  player  himself  performs  that  office,  one  end  of 
the  instrument  being  held  to  the  lips  with  one  hand,  while 
the  string  is  managed  with  the  other.  Performers  may  often 
be  seen  sitting  for  an  hour  together  with  an  instrument  of 
this  sort :  they  stick  one  end  of  the  bow  into  the  ground,  and 
fasten  the  string  over  a  cavity  covered  with  bark,  which 
opens  into  an  aperture  for  the  escape  of  the  sound.  They 
pass  one  hand  from  one  part  of  the  bow  to  the  other,  and 
with  the  other  they  play  upon  the  string  with  the  bamboo 
twig,  and  produce  a  considerable  variety  of  buzzing  and 
hamming  airs  which  are  really  rather  pretty.  This  is  quite 
a  common  pastime  with  the  lads  who  are  put  in  charge  of 


288 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  goats.  I  have  seen  them  apply  themselves  very  earnestly 
and  with  obvious  interest  to  their  musical  practice,  and  the 
ingenious  use  to  which  they  apply  the  simplest  means  for  ^ ' 
obtaining  harmonious  tones  testifies  to  their  penetration  into 
the  secrets  of  the  theory  of  sound. 

As  appeals,  however,  to  the  sense  of  sound,  the  great 
festivals  of  the  Bongo  abound  with  measures  much  more 
thrilling  than  any  of  these  minor  performances.  On  those 
occasions  the  orchestral  results  might  perhaps  be  fairly 
characterised  as  cat's  music  run  wild.  Unwearied  thumping 
of  drums,  the  bellowings  of  gigantic  trumpets,  for  the  manu- 
facture of  which  great  stems  of  trees  come  into  requisition, 
interchanged  by  fits  and  starts  with  the  shriller  blasts  of 
some  smaller  horns,  make  up  the  burden  of  the  unearthly 
hubbub  which  re-echoes  miles  away  along  the  desert. 
Meanwhile,  women  and  children  by  the  hundred  fill  gourd- 
flasks  with  little  stones,  and  rattle  them  as  if  they  were 
churning  butter :  or  again,  at  other  times,  they  will  get  some 
sticks  or  dry  faggots  and  strike  them  together  with  the  greatest 
energy.  The  huge  wooden  tubes  which  may  be  styled  the 
trumpets  of  the  Bongo  are  by  the  natives  themselves  called 
"  manyinyee ;"  they  vary  from  four  to  five  feet  in  length,  being 
closed  at  the  extremity,  and  ornamented  with  carved  work 
representing  a  man's  head,  which  not  unfrequently  is  adorned 
with  a  couple  of  horns.  The  other  end  of  the  stem  is  open, 
and  in  an  upper  compartment  towards  the  figure  of  the 
head  is  the  orifice  into  which  the  performer  blows  with 
all  his  might.  There  is  another  form  of  manyinyee  which 
is  made  like  a  huge  wine- bottle ;  in  order  to  play  upon  it, 
the  musician  takes  it  between  his  knees  like  a  violoncello, 
and  when  the  build  of  the  instrument  is  too  cumbrous,  he 
has  to  bend  over  it  as  it  lies  upon  the  ground. 

Little  difference  can  be  noticed  between  the  kettle-drums 
of  the  Bongo  and  those  of  most  other  North  African  negroes. 
A  section  is  cut  from  the  thick  stem  of  a  tree,  the  preference 


BONGO  SINGING. 


289 


being  given  to  a  tamarind  when  it  can  be  procured ;  this 
is  hollowed  out  into  a  cylinder,  one  end  being  larger  than 
the  other.  The  ends  are  then  covered  with  two  pieces  of 
goat-skin  stripped  of  the  hair,  which  are  tightly  strained 
and  laced  together  with  thongs.  At  the  nightly  orgies  a 
fire  is  invariably  kept  burning  to  dry  the  skin  and  to 
tighten  it  when  it  has  happened  to  become  relaxed  by  the 
heavy  dews. 

A  great  number  of  signal-horns  may  be  seen  made  from 
the  horns  of  different  antelopes ;  these  are  called  "  mangoal," 
and  have  three  holes  like  small  flutes,  and  in  tone  are  not 
unlike  fifes.  There  is  one  long  and  narrow  pipe  cut  by  the 
Bongo  out  of  wood  which  they  call  a  mburrah,"  and  which 
has  a  widened  air-chamber  close  to  the  mouth-piece,  very 
similar  to  the  ivory  signal-horns  which  are  so  frequently  to 
be  seen  in  all  the  negro  countries. 

Difficult  were  the  task  to  give  any  adequate  description 
of  the  singing  of  the  Bongo.  It  must  suffice  to  say  that  it 
consists  of  a  babbling  recitative,  which  at  one  time  suggests 
the  yelping  of  a  dog  and  at  another  the  lowing  of  a  cow, 
whilst  it  is  broken  ever  and  again  by  the  gabbling  of  a 
string  of  words  which  are  huddled  up  one  into  another. 
The  commencement  of  a  measure  will  always  be  with  a 
lively  air,  and  every  one,  without  distinction  of  age  or  sex, 
will  begin  yelling,  screeching,  and  bellowing  with  all  their 
strength;  gradually  the  surging  of  the  voices  will  tone 
down,  the  rapid  time  will  moderate,  and  the  song  be  hushed 
into  a  wailing,  melancholy  strain.  Thus  it  sinks  into  a 
very  dirge,  such  as  might  be  chanted  at  the  grave,  and  be 
interpreted  as  representative  of  a  leaden  and  a  frowning 
sky,  when  all  at  once,  without  note  of  warning,  there 
bursts  forth  the  whole  fury  of  the  negro  throats;  shrill 
and  thrilling  is  the  outcry,  and  the  contrast  is  as  vivid  as 
sunshine  in  the  midst  of  rain. 

Often  as  I  was  present  at  these  festivities  I  never  could 

Vol.  L— 21 


290 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


prevent  my  ideas  from  associating  Bongo  music  with  the 
instinct  of  imitation  which  belongs  to  men  universally.  The 
orgies  always  gave  me  the  impression  of  having  no  other 
object  than  to  surpass  in  violence  the  fury  of  the  elements. 
Adequately  to  represent  the  rage  of  a  hurricane  in  the 
tropics  any  single  instrument  of  course  must  be  weak, 
poor,  and  powerless,  consequently  they  hammer  at  numbers 
of  their  gigantic  drums  with  powerful  blows  of  their  heavy 
clubs.  If  they  would  rival  the  bursting  of  a  storm,  the 
roaring  of  the  wind,  or  the  splashing  of  the  rain,  they 
summon  a  chorus  of  their  stoutest  lungs;  whilst  to  depict 
the  bellowings  of  terrified  wild  beasts,  they  resort  to  their 
longest  horns ;  and  to  imitate  the  songs  of  birds,  they  bring 
together  all  their  flutes  and  fifes.  Most  characteristic  of 
all,  perchance,  is  the  deep  and  rolling  bass  of  the  huge 
"  manyinyee,"  as  descriptive  of  the  rumbling  thunder. 
The  penetrating  shower  may  drive  rattling  and  crackling 
among  the  twigs,  and  amid  the  parched  foliage  of  the 
woods,  and  this  is  imitated  by  the  united  energies  of  women 
and  children,  as  they  rattle  the  stones  in  their  gourd-flasks, 
and  clash  together  their  bits  of  wood. 

It  remains  still  to  notice  some  examples  of  the  various 
handicrafts  which  are  practised  by  this  people.  Compared 
with  other  nations,  the  Bongo  are  remarkable  for  tlie  atten- 
tion they  give  to  basket-work.  They  make  (very  much 
after  the  fashion  of  a  cofiee-bag)  a  strainer  to  filter  and 
clarify  their  "legyee,"  which  is  a  drink  something  like 
ale  fermented  from  sorghum.  Baskets  are  roughly  yet 
substantially  made  by  twining  together  the  stems  of  the 
bamboo.  As  their  first  efforts  in  this  line,  the  natives  are 
accustomed  to  make  the  circular  envelopes  in  which  they 
pack  their  corn  for  exportation.  They  take  the  coriaceous 
leaves  of  the  Combreta  and  Terminalise,  and  by  inserting 
the  petiole  of  one  leaf  into  the  laminse  of  two  others,  they 
form  strips  of  leaves  which  in  a  few  minutes  are  made  into 


BONGO  FISHING. 


291 


a  kind  of  basket,  equally  strong  and  flexible,  which  answers 
its  purpose  admirably. 

Woven  matting  is  very  rarely  found  in  use.  The  walls 
of  every  hut  are  made  of  basket-work,  as  are  the  beehives, 
which  are  more  often  than  not  under  the  shadow  of  some 
adjacent  butter- tree.  Generally  these  hives  are  long  cylin- 
ders, which  midway  have  an  opening  about  six  inches  square. 
The  yield  of  honey,  wild  or  half-wild,  is  very  large,  and  of 
fine  quality  :  the  bees  belong  to  the  European  species.  The 
aroma  of  the  Gardenia  flowers  is  retained  to  a  very  palpable 
degree,  but  wherever  the  Candelabra-euphorbia  happens  to 
be  abundant,  the  honey  partakes  of  the  drastic  properties 
of  its  poisonous  milk,  and  has  been  the  cause  of  the 
natives  being  reproached  with  the  intention  of  poisoning 
the  Nubians. 

In  consequence  of  the  people  being  so  much  engrossed 
at  certain  periods  of  the  year  by  their  hunting  and  fishing, 
the  manufacture  of  fish-nets,  creels,  and  snares,  makes  an 
important  item  in  their  industrial  pursuits.  For  the  most 
part  all  the  twist,  the  bird-snares,  and  the  fishing-lines  are 
made  from  the  fibres  of  bast,  which  are  so  plentiful  in  the 
cultivated  Crotalaria  and  the  Hibiscus.  For  inferior  pur- 
poses the  common  lime-like  bast  of  the  Grewia  mollis  is 
made  to  suffice.  The  Sanseviera  guineensis  is  not  less 
abundant,  but  the  bast  which  it  yields,  although  very  fine, 
is  not  very  enduring.  It  is  generally  very  black  through 
having  been  left  to  lie  upon  the  dark  soil  of  the  marshes, 
and  is  only  used  for  making  a  kind  of  kilt  like  a  horse's 
tail,  which  the  women  wear  behind  from  a  girdle  about  their 
waist.  Cotton-shrubs  are  planted  only  by  the  Dinka,  who 
make  their  fishing-lines  of  the  material  which  is  thus 
provided. 

The  manufacture  of  the  pottery  all  falls  to  the  care  of 
the  women,  who  do  not  shrink  from  the  most  difficult 
tasks,  and,  without  the  help  of  any  turning-wheel,  succeed 


292 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


in  producing  the  most  artistic  specimens.  The  larger  water- 
bottles  are  sometimes  not  less  than  a  yard  in  diameter. 
The  clay  water-pots  are  ordinarily  of  a  broad  oval  shape, 
adapted  for  being  carried  on  the  head  with  the  narrow 
end  resting  on  a  kind  of  porter's  knot,  which  is  made 
either  of  leaves  or  plaited  straw.  Handles  are  uniformly 
wanting:  for,  whatever  may  be  the  purpose  to  which  the 
vessels  are  applied,  whether  for  holding  water  or  oil,  for 
boiling  or  for  baking,  the  material  of  which  they  are  made 
contains  so  large  a  quantity  of  mica  (which  the  natives 
do  not  understand  how  to  get  rid  of),  that  it  is  very  brittle, 
and  the  imperfect  baking  in  the  open  air  contributes  to 
this  brittleness.  To  compensate  for  the  lack  of  handles  by 
which  the  vessels  might  be  lifted,  their  whole  outer  surface 
is  made  rather  rough  by  being  ornamented  by  a  number 
of  triangles  and  zigzag  lines,  which  form  all,  manner  of 
concentric  and  spiral  patterns.  The  gourd-platters  and 
bottles  are  generally  decorated  with  different  dark  rows 
of  triangles.  A  large  amount  of  labour  is  expended  upon 
the  manufacture  of  clay  bowls  for  pipes,  which  are  oftefi 
really  elaborate,  and  have  generally  quite  a  European 
character;  very  often  their  design  consists  of  a  human 
head,  and  these  are  so  treasured  as  works  of  art,  that 
their  possessors  cannot  be  induced  to  part  with  them  at 
any  price. 

The  preparation  of  skins  for  leather  aprons  and  similar 
purposes  has  hitherto  been  limited  amongst  the  Bongo,  as 
probably  amongst  all  the  heathen  negroes,  to  the  simplest 
mechanical  process  of  kneading  and  fulling  by  mqans  of 
&shes  and  dung,  which  is  followed  up  by  a  liberal  appli- 
cation of  fat  and  oil  till  a  sufficient  degree  of  softness  and 
pliancy  is  attained.  Eecently  from  the  Nubians  the  use  of 
tan  has  become  generally  known,  and  it  may  not  unreasonably 
be  conjectured  that  the  method  of  using  it  will  gradually 
extend  from  the  north  of  Africa  towards  the  south,  in  the 


BONGO  PHYSIOGNOMY. 


293 


same  way  as  it  has  spread  upwards  from  the  Cape.  Pre- 
vious to  their  contact  with  Europeans,  none  of  the  southern 
people  of  Africa  had  discovered  the  use  of  tan,  although 
the  skins  of  their  animals  were  a  very  important  item  in 
their  economy.  In  Bongoland  at  present  the  bark  of  the 
Gere  (Hymenocardia  Heudelotii)  is  what  is  most  frequently 
employed,  and  the  red  tan  it  yields  is  found  to  be  very 
effectual. 

We  have  now  to  notice  the  apparel  and  general  external 
aspect  of  the  people,  which  is  as  important  in  its  way  as  the 
outline  of  any  natural  object,  such  as  the  growth  and  foliage 
of  trees.    In  default  of  proper  clothing,  various  disfigure- 


Bongo. 


raents  of  person  play  an  important  part,  and  the  savage 
is  voluntarily  oven  more  of  a  slave  to  fashion  than  any  of 
the  most  refined  children  of  civilization.    Here,  as  in  every 


294 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


other  quarter  of  the  globe,  the  male  sex  desires  to  be 
externally  distinguished  from  the  female,  and  they  differ 
widely  in  their  habits  in  this  respect.  There  is,  however, 
one  ugly  custom  which  is  common  to  both  sexes  throughout 
the  basin  of  the  Gazelle,  which  consists  in  snapping  off  the 
incisors  of  the  lower  jaw,  an  operation  which  is  performed 
as  soon  as  the  milk  teeth  have  been  thoroughly  replaced 
by  the  permanent.  Upon  the  south  borders  of  the  country, 
near  the  Niam-niam,  this  custom  ceases  to  be  exactly  fol- 
lowed, and  there  it  is  the  habit,  as  with  the  Niam-niam 
themselves,  instead  of  breaking  them  off,  to  file  some  of 
the  teeth,  .and  indeed  sometimes  all  of  them,  into  sharp 
points.  Occasionally  the  natives  file  off  the  sides  of  the 
upper  teeth  as  well  as  clip  off  the  lower;  nor  is  it  an 
uncommon  thing  for  gaps  to  be  opened  at  the  points  of 
contact  of  the  central  upper  teeth,  whilst  every  now  and 
then  individual  cases  occur  where  interstices  have  been 
made  in  the  sides  of  all  the  four  front  teeth  large  enough 
to  admit  a  good-sized  toothpick.  Circumcision  is  unknown 
throughout  the  entire  river-district. 

The  men  do  not  go  about  in  a  condition  so  naked  as 
either  the  Dyoor,  the  Shillooks,  or  the  Dinka,  but  they 
wear  an  apron  of  some  sort  of  skin,  and  recently  have 
adopted  a  strip  of  stuff,  which  they  fasten  to  the  girdle 
that  is  never  missing,  allowing  the  ends  to  hang  over  before 
and  behind.  All  the  sons  of  the  red  soil,  as  the  Bongo,  the 
Mittoo,  the  Niam-niam,  and  the  Kredy,  are  called  women  " 
by  the  Dinka,  because  amongst  them  the  females  only  are 
protected  by  any  covering  of  this  description.  The  Bongo 
women  on  the  other  hand,  and  especially  those  who  reside 
on  the  highlands,  obstinately  refuse  to  wear  any  covering 
whatever  either  of  skin  or  stuff,  but  merely  replenish  their 
wardrobe  every  morning  by  a  visit  to  the  woods ;  they  are, 
therefore,  in  respect  of  modesty,  less  particular  than  the 
women  of  the  Dinka ;  a  supple  bough  with  plenty  of  leaves. 


BONGO  WOMEN. 


295 


more  often  than  not  a  bough  of  the  Combretum,  and  perliaps 
a  bunch  of  fine  grass,  fastened  to  the  girdle,  is  all  they 
consider  necessary.  Now  and  then  a  tail,  like  a  black  horse- 
tail, composed  of  the  bast  of  the  Sanseviera,  is  appended  to 
the  back  of  the  girdle  in  a  way  that  has  already  been 
mentioned.  The  rest  of  the  body  is  allowed  by  both  sexes 
to  be  entirely  unclad,  and  no  addition  to  the  costume  is  ever 
seen,  except  we  should  reckon  the  feathered  head-gear, 
which  is  exhibited  on  the  occasion  of  a  feast  or  a  ball. 

As  a  rule  the  hair  of  both  men  and  women  is  kept  quite 
short,  and  not  unfrequently  is  very  closely  shorn,  the  prin- 
cipal exception  being  found  in  the  south,  where  the  habits 
of  the  Niam-niam  have  extended  their  influence  into  the 
Bongo  territory,  and  both  men  and  women  wear  tufts  and 
braids  of  a  length  approximating  to  that  of  their  neighbours. 

It  may  possibly  be  imagined  that  the  extremely  primitive 
covering  of  the  Bongo  women 
irradiates  them  with  some- 
thing of  the  charm  of  Para- 
dise ;  but  a  very  limited  ex- 
perience will  soon  dispel  the 
rapture  of  any  illusion  of  the 
kind.  All  full-grown  women 
attain  such  an  astounding 
girth  of  body,  and  acquire 
such  a  cumbrous  superabun- 
dance of  flesh,  that  it  is  quite 
impossible  to  look  at  them 
without  observing  their  dis- 
proportion to  the  men.  Their 
thighs  are  very  often  as  large 
as  a  man's  chest,  and  their  Bongo  woman, 

measurement  across  the  hips  can  hardly  fail  to  recall  the 
picture  in  Cuvier's  Atlas  of  the  now  famous  Hottentot 
Venus."    Shapes  developed  to  this  magnitude  are  no  longer 


296 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  exclusive  privilege  of  the  Hottentots ;  day  after  day  I 
saw  them  among  the  Bongo,  and  they  may  well  demand  to 
be  technically  described  as  "  Steatopyga."  In  certain  atti- 
tudes, as  for  instance  when  they  are  carrying  their  heavy 
water-jars  upon  their  heads,  they  seem  to  assume  the 
shape  of  an  inverted  S.  To  their  singular  appearance  the 
long  switch  tail  of  bast  very  much  contributes,  and  alto- 
gether the  profile  of  a  fat  Bongo  woman  is  not  unlike  that 
of  a  dancing  baboon.  I  can  vouch  for  it  that  women  who 
weigh  twenty  stone  are  far  from  scarce. 

Very  few  are  the  people  of  Central  Africa  amongst  whom 
the  partiality  for  finery  and  ornaments  is  so  strongly  shown 
as  with  the  Bongo.  The  women  wear  on  their  necks  an 
accumulation  of  cords  and  beads,  and  not  being  fastidious 
like  their  neighbours,  will  put  on  without  regard  to  shape  or 
colour,  whatever  the  market  of  Khartoom  can  provide.  The 
men  do  not  care  much  for  this  particular  decoration,  but 
prefer  necklaces,  on  which  they  string  some  of  those  remark- 
able little  fragments  of  wood  which  are  so  constantly  found  in 
every  region  of  Africa.  With  the  bits  of  wood  hang  fragments 
of  roots,  which  are  in  form  something  like  the  mandrake,  which, 
in  Southern  Europe,  has  been  the  subject  of  so  strange  a  super- 
stition. Alternating  with  the  roots  and  wood  are  the  talons 
of  owls  and  eagles,  the  teeth  of  dogs,  crocodiles,  and  jackals, 
little  tortoise-shells,  the  claws  of  the  earth-pig  (Orycteropus), 
and  in  short  any  of  those  objects  which  we  are  accustomed 
to  store  in  the  cabinets  which  adorn  our  salons.  They  appear 
to  supply  the  place  of  the  extracts  from  the  Koran  which, 
wrapped  in  leather  sheathes,  the  Nubians  wear  by  dozens 
about  their  person ;  anything  in  the  shape  of  an  amulet  being 
eagerly  craved  by  every  African. 

Not  unfrequently  the  men  deck  themselves  out  in  females* 
ornaments.  Many  cover  the  rims  of  their  ears  with  copper 
rings  and  crescents;  others  pierce  the  upper  lip  like  the 
women,  and  insert  either  a  round-headed  copper  nail  or  a 


BONGO  DECORATION. 


297 


copper  plate,  or,  what  is  still  more  general,  some  rings  or  a 
bit  of  straw.  The  skin  of  the  stomach  above  the  waist  is 
often  pierced  by  the  men,  and  the  incision  filled  up  with 
a  bit  of  wood,  or  occasionally  by  a  good-sized  peg.  On  the 
wrist  and  upper  part  of  the  arm  they  wear  iron  rings  of  every 
pattern ;  some  rings  are  cut  out  of  elephant  and  buffalo  hide, 
and  look  almost  as  though  they  were  made  of  horn.  The 
"  dangabor,"  an  ornament  composed  of  a  series  of  iron  rings, 
and  worn  on  the  lower  portion  of  the  arm,  has  been  already 
described. 

The  Bongo  women  delight  in  distinguishing  themselves  by 
an  adornment  which  to  our  notions  is  nothing  less  than  a 
hideous  mutilation.  As  soon  as  a  woman  is  married  the 
operation  commences  of  extending  her  lower  lip.  This,  at 
first  only  slightly  bored,  is  widened  by  inserting  into  the 
orifice  plugs  of  wood  gradually  increasing  in  size,  until  at 
length  the  entire  feature  is  enlarged  to  five  or  six  times  its 
original  proportions.  The  plugs  are  cylindrical  in  form,  not 
less  than  an  inch  thick,  and  are  exactly  like  the  pegs  ol 
bone  or  wood  worn  by  the  women  of  Musgoo.  By  this  means 
the  lower  lip  is  extended  horizontally  till  it  projects  far 
beyond  the  upper,  which  is  also  bored  and  fitted  with  a  copper 
plate  or  nail,  and  now  and  then  by  a  little  ring,  and  some- 
times by  a  bit  of  straw  about  as  thick  as  a  lucifer-match. 
Nor  do  they  leave  the  nose  intact :  similar  bits  of  straw  are 
inserted  into  the  edges  of  the  nostrils,  and  I  have  seen  as 
many  as  three  of  these  on  either  side.  A  very  favourite 
ornament  for  the  cartilage  between  the  nostrils  is  a  copper 
ring,  just  like  those  that  are  placed  in  the  noses  of  buffaloes 
and  other  beasts  of  burden  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  them 
more  tractable.  The  greatest  coquettes  among  the  ladies 
wear  a  clasp  or  cramp  at  the  corners  of  the  mouth,  as  though 
they  wanted  to  contract  the  orifice,  and  literally  to  put  a 
curb  upon  its  capabilities.  These  subsidiary  ornaments  are 
not  however  found  at  all  universally  among  the  women,  and 


298 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


it  is  rare  to  see  them  all  at  once  upon  a  single  individual : 
the  plug  in  the  lower  lip  of  the  married  women  is  alone  a  sine 
qua  non,  serving  as  it  does  for  an  artificial  distinction  of  race. 
According  to  the  custom  of  the  people,  there  need  only  be  a 
trifling  projection  of  the  skin  so  as  to  form  a  flap  or  a  fold, 
to  be  at  once  the  excuse  for  boring  a  hole.  The  ears  are  per- 
forated more  than  any  part,  both  the  outer  and  the  inner  auricle 
being  profusely  pierced  ;  the  tip  of  the  ear  alone  is  frequently 
made  to  carry  half-a-dozen  little  iron  rings.  There  are 
women  in  the  country  whose  bodies  are  pierced  in  some  way 
or  other  in  little  short  of  a  hundred  different  places. 

The  Bongo  women  limit  their  tattooing  to  the  upper  part 
of  the  arm.  Zigzag  or  parallel  lines,  or  rows  of  dots,  often 
brought  into  relief  by  the  production  of  proud  flesh  after  the 
operation  has  been  accomplished,  are  the  three  forms  which 
in  different  combinations  serve  as  marks  of  individual  dis- 
tinction. The  men  tattoo  themselves  differently,  and  some 
of  them  abstain  from  the  operation  altogether.  At  one  time 
the  lines  run  across  the  breast  and  stomach  to  one  side  of  the 
body ;  at  another  they  are  limited  to  the  top  of  the  arm, 
whilst  it  is  not  at  all  unusual  for  the  neck  and  shoulder- 
blades  to  be  tattooed. 

Besides  the  ornaments  that  I  have  mentioned,  the  toilet 
of  a  Bongo  lady  is  incomplete  without  the  masses  of  iron  and 
copper  rings  which  she  is  accustomed  to  wear  on  her  wrists 
and  arms,  and  more  especially  on  her  ankles.  These  rings 
clank  like  fetters  as  she  walks,  and  even  from  a  distance  the 
two  sexes  can  be  distinguished  by  the  character  of  the  sound 
that  accompanies  their  movements.  That  human  patience 
should  ever  for  the  sake  of  fashion  submit  to  a  still  greater 
martyrdom  seems  almost  incredible,  though  hereafter  we 
shall  have  sufficient  proof  when  we  delineate  the  habits  of 
the  Mittoo,  the  neighbours  of  the  Bongo,  that  such  is  really 
the  case. 

In  Bongoland,  as  in  all  the  northern  parts  of  the  territory 


BONGO  WEAPONS. 


299 


that  I  visited,  copper  of  late  years  has  attained  a  monetary 
value,  and  has  become  an  accustomed  medium  of  exchange. 
Glass  beads  are  annually  deteriorating  in  estimation,  and 
have  long  ceased  to  be  treasured  up  and  buried  in  the  earth 
like  jewels  or  precious  stones,  being  now  used  only  to  gratify 
female  vanity.  In  former  times,  when  the  only  intercourse 
that  the  Bongo  held  with  the  Mohammedan  world  was  by 
occasional  dealings  with  the  Baggara  Arabs,  through  the 
intervention  of  the  Dembo,  a  Shillook  tribe  connected  with 
the  Dyoor,  cowrie-shells  were  in  great  requestj  but  these  also 
have  long  since  fallen  out  of  the  category  of  objects  of  value. 
Gold  and  silver  are  very  rarely  used  as  ornaments,  even  in 
the  Mohammedan  parts  of  the  Eastern  Soudan ;  it  is  there- 
fore hardly  a  matter  of  surprise  that  to  the  Bongo,  whose 
soil  is  singularly  uniform  in  its  geological  productions,  they 
should  be  all  but  unknown.  The  Bongo,  moreover,  have 
but  little  value  for  brass,  differing  greatly  in  this  respect 
from  their  neighbours,  the  Dyoor. 

Their  weapons  consist  mainly  of  lances,  bows  and  arrows, 
shields  being  very  rarely  used,  and  even  then  being  appro- 
priated from  other  neighbouring  nations.  Although  the 
greater  part  of  the  population  is  at  present  quite  unaccus- 
tomed to  any  warlike  occupation,  except  when  any  of  them 
chance  to  be  employed  in  the  raids  upon  the  Dinka  or  in  the 
Niam-niam  campaigns,  yet  they  still  maintain  a  wonderful 
dexterity  in  the  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  we  shall  have 
occasion  in  another  place  to  notice  their  performances  in  this 
respect.  The  large  size  of  their  weapons  is  remarkable ;  I 
saw  many  of  their  bows  which  were  four  feet  in  length,  their 
arrows  are  rarely  under  three  feet  long,  and  on  this  account 
they  are  never  made  from  the  light  reed-grass,  but  are  cut 
out  of  solid  wood.  The  forms  of  the  arrow-heads  also  have 
a  decided  nationality  stamped  upon  them.  In  the  course 
of  time  I  was  easily  able  to  determine  at  a  glance  the  tribe 
to  which  any  weapon  belonged  by  certain  characteristics,  the 


300 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


details  of  which  would  now  engross  more  time  and  space 
than  are  at  our  command.  It  may  be  mentioned  that  the 
Bongo,  like  the  negroes  above  Fesoglu,  on  the  Upper  Blue 
Nile,  imbue  their  arrows  with  the  milky  juice  of  one  of  the 
Euphorbise.  This  species,  of  which  I  now  for  the  first  time 
collected  some  specimens,  has  been  erroneously  represented 
by  Tremaux  in  the  atlas  of  his  travels  *  as  Euphorbia  mamil- 
laris,  but  it  is  in  fact  one  of  the  many  Cactus-euphorbias  for 
which  the  flora  of  Tropical  Africa,  and  especially  that  of  the 
drier  regions,  is  distinguished,  and  is  entirely  distinct  from 
the  South  African  species.  It  is  a  branching,  straggling 
shrub,  varying  in  height  from  five  to  eight  feet,  at  one  time 
growing  in  large  masses  in  the  light  woods,  and  then  failing 
altogether  for  the  space  of  several  days'  journey.  Not  only 
the  larger  branches,  nearly  two  inches  thick,  but  also  the 
smaller  boughs,  are  encrusted  with  a  snowy  white  rind, 
covered  with  thick  spiny  protuberances,  which  stand  singly 
under  the  eyes  of  the  leaves.  At  the  extremity  of  each 
bough  is  a  bunch  of  fleshy  succulent  leaves,  shaped  like 
lances,  and  six  inches  in  length.  This  species  of  Cactus- 
euphorbia  (E.  venefica)  is  termed  by  the  Bongo  bolloh,"  in 
contradistinction  to  kakoh,"  their  name  for  the  larger  sort 
{E.  candelabrum),  which  is  common  in  the  country,  but  of 
which  the  milky  juice  is  far  less  dangerous  than  that  of  the 
"  bolloh,"  for  if  this  be  applied  in  a  fresh  condition  to  the 
skin,  it  results  in  a  violent  inflammation.  It  is,  however,  my 
opinion  that  this  juice,  as  it  is  used  by  the  Bongo,  being 
spread  in  a  hard  mass  over  the  barbs  and  heads  of  the  arrows, 
can  do  very  little  harm  to  the  wounded,  as  when  it  is  once 
hard  it  is  difficult  to  melt,  and  there  cannot  possibly  be  time 
for  it  to  commingle  with  the  blood  after  a  wound  has  been 
made  by  an  arrow. 

We  may  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  Bongo  games, 


*  Tromaux  :  '  Voyage  Pittoresque  au  Soudan.'  Tab,  XIV. 


BONGO  GAMES. 


801 


which  are  as  original  and  primitive  as  their  music.  One  of 
these  games,  as  forming  excellent  training  for  the  chase, 
deserves  some  especial  notice.  A  number  of  men  are  pro- 
vided with  pointed  sticks  made  of  hard  wood,  which  they  use 
as  lances.  They  form  a  large  ring,  and  another  man  who 
has  a  piece  of  soft  wood  attached  to  a  long  string,  runs  round 
and  round  within  the  circle.  The  others  then  endeavour 
with  their  pointed  sticks  to  hit  the  mark  whilst  it  is  being 
carried  rapidly  round.  As  soon  as  it  is  struck  it  falls  to  the 
ground,  and  the  successful  marksman  is  greeted  with  a  loud 
cheer.  Another  game  requires  no  less  calmness  and  dex- 
terity. A  piece  of  wood  bent  into  a  crescent  has  a  short 
string  attached  to  the  middle ;  this  wood  is  then  hurled  by 
the  one  end  of  it  with  such  violence  to  the  earth  that  it  goes 
spinning  like  a  boomerang  through  the  air.  The  players 
stand  face  to  face  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty  feet  apart, 
and  the  game  consists  in  catching  the  wood  by  the  string,  a 
performance  that  requires  no  little  skill,  as  there  is  consider- 
able danger  of  receiving  a  sharp  knock.  Both  games  might, 
under  some  modifications,  admit  of  being  adopted  into  our 
rural  sports. 

Turning  now  to  the  national  manners,  customs,  and  ideas, 
I  profess  that  they  are  subjects  of  which  I  must  treat  with 
considerable  reserve,  since  my  residence  as  a  stranger  for  two 
years  amongst  these  savages  only  gave  me  after  all  a  very 
superficial  insight  into  the  mysteries  of  their  inner  life. 
Since,  however,  the  accounts  of  eye-witnesses,  who  knew  the 
land  in  its  primitive  condition,  seem  to  accord  with  and  to 
corroborate  my  own  observations,  as  well  as  the  information 
I  obtained  from  the  Bongo  themselves,  I  am  in  a  position  to 
depose  to  some  facts,  of  which  I  must  leave  the  scientific 
analysis  to  those  who  are  seeking  to  cultivate  the  untried 
soil  of  the  psychology  of  nations. 

Elsewhere,  and  among  other  nations  with  whom  I  became 
acquainted,  the  number  of  a  man's  wives  was  dependent  on 


302 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFKICA. 


the  extent  of  his  possessions,  but  amongst  the  Bongo  it 
seemed  to  be  limited  to  a  maximum  of  three.  Here,  as  in 
other  parts  of  Africa,  a  wife  cannot  be  obtained  for  nothing, 
even  the  very  poorest  must  pay  a  purchase  price  to  the 
father  of  the  bride  in  the  form  of  a  number  of  plates  of  iron ; 
unless  a  man  could  provide  the  premium,  he  could  only  get 
an  old  woman  for  a  wife.  The  usual  price  paid  for  a  young 
girl  would  be  about  ten  plates  of  iron  weighing  two  pounds 
each,  and  twenty  lance  tips.  Divorces,  when  necessary,  are 
regulated  in  the  usual  way,  and  the  father  is  always  com- 
pelled to  make  a  restitution  of  at  least  a  portion  of  the 
wedding-payment.  If  a  man  should  send  his  wife  back  to 
her  father,  she  is  at  liberty  to  marry  again,  and  with  her 
husband's  consent  she  may  take  her  children  with  her ;  if, 
however,  her  husband  retains  the  children,  her  father  is 
bound  to  refund  the  entire  wedding-gift  that  he  received. 
This  would  be  the  case  although  ten  years  might  have 
elapsed  since  the  marriage.  The  barrenness  of  a  woman  is 
always  an  excuse  for  a  divorce.  In  cases  of  adultery,  the 
husband  endeavours  to  kill  the  seducer,  and  the  wife  gets  a 
sound  flogging.  Whoever  has  been  circumcised  according 
to  the  Mohammedan  law,  cannot  hope  to  make  a  good  match 
in  Bongoland. 

A  Bongo  woman,  as  a  rule,  will  seldom  be  found  to  have 
less  than  five  children :  the  usual  number  is  six,  and  the 
maximum  twelve.  In  childbirth  she  is  supported  with  her 
arms  on  a  horizontal  beam,  and  is  in  that  position  delivered 
of  the  child ;  the  navel-cord  is  cut  very  long  with  a  knife,  and 
always  without  a  ligature.  No  festivities  are  observed  on  the 
occasion  of  a  birth.  The  infants  are  carried  on  the  mothers' 
backs,  sewn  up  in  a  bag  of  goat's-hide,  like  a  water-bottle. 
The  children  are  kept  at  the  breast  until  they  have  completed 
their  second  year,  weaning  being  never  thought  of  until  they 
can  be  trusted  to  run  about.  In  order  to  wean  a  child,  the 
mother's  breast  is  smeared  with  some  acrid  matter,  and  the 


BONGO  EXEQUIES. 


303 


bruised  leaves  of  some  of  the  Oapparidse  are  mixed  with  water 
to  a  pulp,  and  have  the  effect  of  drying  up  the  milk. 

Among  the  Bongo  and  the  neighbouring  nations  there  is  a 
custom,  manifestly  originating  in  a  national  morality,  that 
forbids  all  children  that  are  not  at  the  breast  to  sleep  in  the 
same  hut  with  their  parents  ;  the  Bongo  in  this  respect  put- 
ting to  shame  many  of  those  who  w^ould  boast  of  their  civili- 
zation. The  elder  children  have  a  hut  appropriated  to 
themselves,  but  take  their  meals  with  the  rest  of  the  family. 
In  addition  to  this  custom  there  is  the  universal  rule,  as  with 
ourselves,  that  no  matrimonial  alliance  takes  place  until  the 
youths  are  about  eighteen  and  the  girls  about  fifteen  years 
of  age. 

In  the  disposal  of  their  dead,  the  customs  of  the  Bongo 
are  very  remarkable.  Immediately  after  life  is  extinct,  the 
corpses  are  placed,  like  the  Peruvian  mummies,  in  what  may 
be  described  as  a  crouching  posture,  with  the  knees  forced 
up  to  the  chin,  and  are  then  firmly  bound  round  the  head  and 
legs.  When  the  body  has  been  thus  compressed  into  the 
smallest  possible  compass,  it  is  sewn  into  a  sack  made  of 
skins,  and  placed  in  a  deep  grave.  A  shaft  is  sunk  perpen- 
dicularly down  for  about  four  feet,  and  then  a  niche  is  hol- 
lowed to  the  side,  so  that  the  sack  containing  the  corpse 
should  not  have  to  sustain  any  vertical  pressure  from  the 
earth  which  is  thrown  in  to  fill  up  the  grave.  This  form  of 
interment  is  also  prescribed  in  the  law  of  Islam,  which,  in 
this  and  many  other  cases,  has  probably  followed  an  African 
custom.  The  Bongo  have  a  striking  practice,  for  which, 
perhaps,  some  reason  may  be  assigned,  of  burying  men  with 
the  face  turned  to  the  north  and  women  to  the  south.  After 
the  grave  is  filled  in,  a  heap  of  stones  is  piled  over  the  spot 
in  a  short  cylindrical  form,  and  this  is  supported  by  strong 
stakes,  which  are  driven  into  the  soil  all  round.  On  the 
middle  of  the  pile  is  placed  a  pitcher,  frequently  the  same 
from  which  the  deceased  w^as  accustomed  to  drink  his  water. 


304  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

The  graves  are  always  close  to  the  huts,  their  site  being 
marked  by  a  number  of  long  forked  branches,  carved,  by  way 
of  ornament,  with  numerous  notches  and  incisions,  and  having 
their  points  sharpened  like  horns.  Of  these  votive  stakes  I 
saw  a  number  varying  from  one  to  five  on  each  grave.  The 
typical  meaning  belonging  to  these  sticks  has  long  since 
fallen  into  oblivion,  and  notwithstanding  all  my  endeavours 
to  become  acquainted  with  the  Bongo,  and  to  initiate  myself 
into  their  manners  and  customs,  I  could  never  discover 
a  satisfactory  explanation.  The  sticks  reminded  me  of  the 
old  English  finance-budgets  in  the  time  of  William  the  Con- 
queror. In  answer  to  my  inquiries,  the  Khartoomers  merely 
I'eturned  the  same  answer  as  they  did  to  my  predecessor, 
Heuglin  ;  they  persisted  in  saying  that  every  notch  denoted 
an  enemy  killed  in  battle  by  the  deceased.  The  Bongo 
themselves,  however,  repeatedly  declared  that  such  was  by 
no  means  the  case,  and  quite  repudiated  the  idea  that  they 
should  ever  think  of  thus  perpetuating  the  bloodthirstiness 
of  the  dead.  The  neighbouring  Mittoo  and  Madi  adopt  very 
much  the  same  method  of  sepulture.  The  memorial-urns 
erected  over  the  graves  of  the  Musgoo  remind  the  traveller 
of  those  of  the  Bongo.  Whenever  a  burial  takes  place,  all 
the  neighbours  are  invited  to  attend,  and  are  abundantly 
entertained  with  merissa.  The  entire  company  takes  part  in 
the  formation  of  the  grave,  in  the  rearing  of  the  memorial- 
urn,  and  in  the  erection  of  the  votive  stakes.  When  the 
ceremony  is  finished,  they  shoot  at  the  stakes  with  arrows, 
which  they  leave  sticking  in  the  wood.  I  often  noticed 
arrows  that  had  been  thus  shot  still  adhering  to  the  sticks. 

The  Bongo  have  not  the  remotest  conception  of  immor- 
tality. They  have  no  more  idea  of  the  transmigration  of 
souls,  or  any  doctrine  of  the  kind,  than  they  have  of  the 
existence  of  an  ocean.  I  have  tried  various  ways  and  means 
of  solving  the  problem  of  their  inner  life,  but  always  without 
success.    Although  the  belief  in  immortality  may  be  indi- 


BONGO  SUPERSTITION. 


305 


genous  to  Africa,  I  should  question  whether  the  ancient 
Egyptians  did  not  in  their  religious  development  obey  the 
promptings  of  the  Asiatic  East.  At  any  rate,  those  state- 
ments are  incorrect  which  would  endeavour  to  explain  the 
dull  resignation  displayed  by  the  victims  of  human  sacrifice 
in  Dahomey  by  a  theory  of  their  belief  in  immortality.  All 
religion,  in  our  sense  of  the  word  religion,  is  quite  unknown 
to  the  Bongo,  and,  beyond  the  term  "  loma,"  vvhich  denotes 
equally  luck  and  ill-luck,  they  have  nothing  in  their  language 
to  signify  any  deity  or  spiritual  being.  "  Loma  "  is  likewise 
the  term  that  they  use  for  the  Supreme  Being,  whom  they 
hear  invoked  as  "  Allah  "  by  their  oppressors,  and  some  of 
thena  make  use  of  the  expression,  "  loma-gobo,"  i.  e.,  the 
superior,  to  denote  the  God  of  the  "Turks."  The  almost 
incomprehensible  prayers  of  the  Mohammedans  are  called  by 
the  Bongo  "  malah,"  which  has  evidently  some  connection 
with  the  word  "  Allah  "  that  is  generally  repeated  over  and 
over  again  in  all  the  devotions  of  the  Nubians. 

If  any  one  is  ill,  his  illness  is  attributed  to  "  loma,"  but  in 
the  event  of  anybody  losing  a  wager  or  a  game,  or  returning 
from  a  hunting  adventure  without  game,  or  coming  back 
from  war  without  booty,  he  is  said  to  have  had  no  loma " 
(loma  nya),  in  the  sense  of  having  no  luck. 

Quite  amazing  is  the  fear  which  exists  among  the  Bongo 
about  ghosts,  whose  abode  is  said  to  be  in  the  shadowy  dark- 
ness of  the  woods.  Spirits,  devils,  and  witches  have  the 
general  appellation  of  "  bitaboh wood-goblins  being  spe- 
cially called  "  ronga."  Comprehended  under  the  same  term 
are  all  the  bats  (especially  the  Megaderma  frons,  which 
^flutters  about  from  tree  to  tree  in  broad  daylight),  as  likewise 
are  owls  of  every  kind  (Strix  leucotis  and  Strix  ca^ensis 
being  here  the  chief)  ;  and  besides  these  the  Ndorr  {Galago 
senegalensis),  a  kind  of  pseudo-simia,  with  great  red  eyes  and 
erect  ears,  which  drags  out  a  gloomy  existence  in  the  cavities 
of  hollow  trees.    There  are,  too,  prowling  beasts  of  night,  for 

Vol.  I.— 22 


306 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


which  they  entertain  the  utmost  dread,  regarding  them  with 
superstitious  awe.  To  ward  oif  the  evil  influences  of  these 
spirits,  the  Bongo  are  acquainted  with  no  other  means  except 
the  magical  roots  in  which  the  professional  sorcerers  trade, 
in  a  similar  way  as  the  Mohammedan  priests  of  the  Soudan 
in  their  amulets  and  sentences  from  the  Koran.  Very 
seldom  are  any  attempts  made  to  expel  the  spirits  by  the 
means  of  exorcism,  which  is  turned  to  great  account  by  the 
Dinka  magicians.  The  institution  of  the  "  Cogyoor  "  is  here 
called  belomah,"  but  whenever  it  is  necessary  to  have  an 
invocation  over  a  sick  patient,  they  more  often  than  not  send 
for  a  professional  wizard  from  the  neighbouring  Dinka. 

Good  spirits  are  quite  unrecognised,  and,  according  to  the 
general  negro  idea,  no  benefit  can  ever  come  from  a  spirit  at 
all.  They  affirm  that  the  only  thing  they  know  about  spirits 
is  that  they  do  mischief,  and  certain  it  is  that  they  have  no 
conception  either  of  there  being  a  Creator,  or  any  kind  and 
ruling  power  above.  They  assert  that  there  is  no  other 
resource  for  obtaining  communication  with  spirits,  except  by 
means  of  certain  roots,  which  may  be  of  service  likewise  in 
employing  the  powers  of  evil  to  inflict  injury  on  others.  To 
their  knowledge  of  this  magic  may  be  attributed  much  of 
the  influence  which  the  native  chiefs,  independently  of  their 
authorised  rule,  exercise  over  the  mass  of  the  people  in  their 
districts.  This  may  be  witnessed  among  the  Bary  on  the 
Bahr-el-Gebel,  and  a  hundred  other  tribes,  who  yield  the 
greatest  deference  to  the  controllers  or  captains  of  their 
communities.  The  practice  of  fetching  down  rain  is  never 
pretended  to  by  the  Bongo  chiefs,  and  may  be  said  to  be 
absolutely  unknown ;  but  probably  this  may  rise  from  the^ 
climate  so  rarely  making  it  necessary  to  put  their  skill  in  this 
respect  to  the  test. 

All  the  very  old  people  of  either  sex,  but  especially  the  old 
women,  are  exposed  to  the  suspicion  of  allying  themselves  to 
wicked  spirits,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  the  injury  and 


BELIEF  IN  WITCHES. 


307 


detriment  of  others.  Old  folks,  so  the  Bongo  maintain, 
wander  through  the  forest-glades  at  night,  and  have  only  to 
secure  the  proper  roots,  and  then  they  may  apparently  be 
lying  calmly  in  their  huts,  whilst  in  reality  they  are  taking 
counsel  with  the  spirits  of  mischief  how  they  can  best  bring 
their  neighbours  to  death  and  destruction.  They  dig  for 
roots,  it  is  continually  said,  that  they  may  have  the  means 
of  poisoning  those  around  them.  Whenever  any  case  of 
sudden  death  occurs,  the  aged  people  are  held  responsible, 
and  nothing,  it  is  taken  for  granted,  could  be  more  certain 
than  that  a  robust  man,  except  he  were  starved,  would  not 
die.  Woe  to  the  old  crones,  then,  in  whose  house  the  sus- 
pected herbs  and  roots  are  found  !  though  they  be  father  or 
mother,  they  have  no  chance  of  escape. 

A  genuine  and  downright  belief  in  witches  has  long  been 
and  still  continues  as  deeply  seated  here  as  in  any  spot  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  nowhere  are  prosecutions  more 
continually  being  instituted  against  them.  As  matter  of  fact, 
I  can  affirm  that  really  aged  folks  among  the  Bongo  are 
comparatively  scarce,  and  that  the  number  of  grey-headed 
people  is,  by  contrast,  surprisingly  large  amongst  the  neigh- 
bouring race  of  the  Dyoor,  who  put  no  faith  at  all  in  any 
witchcraft.  The  Nubians  are  not  only  open  to  superstitions 
of  their  own,  but  confirm  the  Bongo  in  all  of  theirs.  In  the 
Eastern  Soudan,  which  is  a  Mohammedan  country,  the  con- 
versation will  constantly  turn  upon  the  " Sahara"  (i.e.,  the 
witches),  and  no  comparison  is  more  frequent  than  that 
which  likens  the  old  women  to  hyaenas :  in  fact,  many  of  the 
people  hold  hard  and  fast  to  the  conviction  that  the  witches 
are  capable  of  going  out  at  night,  and  taking  up  their 
quarters  inside  the  bodies  of  these  detestable  brutes,  withQut 
any  one  being  aware  of  what  is  happening.  It  chanced, 
during  my  stay  in  Gallabat,  that  I  killed  one  out  of  a  herd 
of  hyaenas  that  was  infesting  the  district ;  my  fate,  in  con- 
sequence, was  to  be  loaded  with  reproaches  on  the  part  of  the 


308 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Sheikh,  who  informed  me  that  his  mother  was  a  "  hysena- 
woman,"  and  that  I  might,  for  all  I  could  tell,  have  shot  her. 
After  this  I  was  not  so  surprised  as  might  be  expected  when 
Idrees,  the  governor  of  Ghattas's  Seriba,  boasted  in  my  pre- 
sence of  his  conflicts  with  witches,  bragging  that  in  one  day 
he  had  had  half  a  dozen  of  them  executed.  An  occasion 
shortly  afterwards  arose,  when  Idrees  was  contemplating 
putting  two  old  women  to  death  at  the  desire  of  some  Bongo, 
and  the  only  scheme  I  could  devise  to  make  him  desist  from 
his  purpose,  was  by  threatening  him  that,  in  the  event  of 
the  women  being  executed,  I  would  poison  his  water-springs. 

But,  in  this  dread  of  witches,  the  whole  superstition  of  the 
Bongo  culminates  and  exhausts  itself;  and  we  Europeans 
may  well  ask  what  real  right  have  we,  with  all  our  advance- 
ment in  knowledge, to  presume  to  reproach  them?  We  can- 
not resist  the  impression  that  these  poor  Bongo  are  infinitely 
more  free  from  hundreds  of  superstitious  fallacies  than  many 
of  those  who  boast  of  their  civilization ;  much  more  so,  for 
instance,  than  the  Mohammedans  of  the  Soudan,  where  the 
idlest  of  superstitions  prevail  in  every  household.  Let 
nature  be  free,  and  the  germs  of  energy  in  man's  spirit  will 
develop  themselves,  without  oversteppiug  their  proper 
limits,  in  trustful  dependence  upon  the  presiding  spirit  which 
controls  all  thought.  That  the  spirit  of  man,  moreover, 
revolves  in  a  circle,  is  demonstrated  by  the  old  man  becoming 
again  a  child.  A  philosopher  might  fairly  speculate  (in  the 
spirit  of  Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre,  when  he  advocated  a  worship 
of  Nature)  whether  this  land  would  not  have  been  happier  if 
the  Moslems  had  never  set  foot  upon  its  soil.  They  brought 
a  religion  ,that  was  destitute  of  morality ;  they  introduced 
contagion  rather  than  knowledge;  they  even  suppressed  the 
true  doctrines  of  Mohammed  their  prophet,  which  would 
have  enfranchised  the  very  people  whom  they  oppressed, 
and  have  raised  them  to  a  condition  of  brotherhood,  and  of 
equality. 


BONGO  SURGERY. 


309 


The  method  of  proceeding  among  the  Bongo  with  the  sick 
and  wounded  is  invariably  of  the  very  simplest  character. 
When  the  disorder  is  internal,  and  the  origin  cannot  be 
detected,  the  treatment  consists  merely  in  liberal  applica- 
tions of  very  hot  water.  The  patient  is  stretched  upon  the 
ground,  and  sprinkled  by  means  of  leafy  boughs  with  boiling 
water  from  vessels  that  are  placed  close  by.  Somewhat 
more  expert  is  their  proceeding  in  the  case  of  the  wounded. 
It  once  chanced  that  I  saw  a  group  of  sufferers  brought  back 
from  one  of  the  raids  that  had  been  made  into  the  territory 
of  the  Dinka.  The  wounds  had  nearly  all  been  inflicted  by 
the  lances  of  the  adversary.  With  remarkable  fortitude  the 
patients  all  submitted  to  the  practice  of  the  country,  which 
consisted  in  the  introduction  of  a  number  of  setons,  made  oi 
the  strong  and  fibrous  bast  of  the  grewia,  into  the  injured 
parts,  in  order  to  reduce  the  inflammation.  Amongst  others, 
I  saw  a  knee,  which  was  immensely  swollen,  subject  to  the 
operation  of  being  pierced  in  every  direction  by  setons  of 
this  sort,  until  it  was  larded  like  a  roast  hare.  W^ith  the 
exception  of  red  ochre  the  Bongo,  like  most  of  their  neigh- 
bours, are  not  acquainted  with  any  mineral  which  they  can 
apply  to  a  wound,  either  as  a  reducent  or  an  antiseptic.  As 
medicines  to  accelerate  the  natural  processes  of  cure,  they 
make  use  of  the  astringent  bitter  barks  of  certain  trees  like 
the  Hymenocardia,  the  Butyrospermum,  and  the  Prosopis, 
which  are  here  known  as  the  "  gere,"  the  "  kor,"  and  the 
goll."  Syphilis,  which  now  makes  its  insidious  progress, 
was  quite  unknown  amongst  these  poor  savages  previous  to 
the  settlement  amongst  them  of  the  Nubians,  and  against  its 
mischief  the  only  specific  employed  is  the  bitter  bark  of  the 
Heddo-tree  {Anogeissus),  one,  however,  which  undoubtedly  is 
utterly  useless  for  the  purpose. 

The  misshapen  and  crippled  are  entirely  unknown  amongst 
these  unsophisticated  children  of  Nature.  But  in  a  country 
where,  even  with  the  best  attention  on  the  part  of  a  mother, 


310 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


every  child  must  be  exposed  to  the  perils  which  necessarily 
are  associated  with  existence  in  a  wilderness,  how  should  it 
be  possible  for  a  cripple  to  stand  out  the  battle  of  life  ?  As 
freaks  of  nature,  every  now  and  then  there  may  be  seen  some 
dwarfs,  and  I  presume  that  some  mutes  may  occasioually  be 
found,  as  there  is  a  word  mabang  ")  in  their  language  to 
express  the  defect  in  the  faculty  of  speech. 

The  insane  ("  bindahko  ")  are  shackled  hand  and  foot ;  and 
avowedly  with  the  design  of  cooling  and  soothing  thpir 
passions,  they  are  thrown  into  the  river,  where  they  are 
immersed  by  practised  swimmers.  If  this  remedy  should 
prove  of  no  effect,  the  patient  is  put  into  confinement,  and 
dieted  by  the  relatives  ;  but  generally  the  lot  of  a  maniac  is 
far  happier  than  that  which  befalls  an  aged  man,  however 
innocent.  To  maintain  the  strength  of  invalids,  certain 
kinds  of  flesh  are  prescribed,  and  a  particular  value  is  attri- 
buted to  the  flesh  of  the  Gullukoo  (Tmetoceros  ahyssinicus),  a 
kind  of  rhinoceros  hornbill,  which  has  a  detestable  flavour, 
as  odious  as  hemlock. 

The  dialect  of  the  people  throughout  the  whole  country 
exhibits  very  little  diversity ;  the  best  evidence  for  this  is 
afforded  by  the  perfect  uniformity  of  expression  in  every 
part  of  the  land  for  all  natural  objects  whatever ;  whilst  even 
in  dealing  with  conceptions  of  an  abstract  character,  there  is 
little  fear  of  being  misunderstood.  The  language  altogether 
has  a  harmonious  ring,  abounding  in  the  vowel  sounds  of  a 
and  0,  as  the  name  of  the  people  indicates ;  it  is  very  simple 
in  its  grammatical  structure,  and  at  the  same  time  it  presents 
a  great  variety  of  terms  for  all  concrete  subjects.  The 
vocabulary  that  I  compiled  contained  nearly  one  thousand 
distinct  expressions. 

The  etymology  of  connected  words  and  the  analysis  ol 
separate  idioms  afford  considerable  interest,  and  transport 
the  student  right  into  the  ingenuous  world  of  their  natural 
life,    The  more  common  of  our  abstract  ideas  such  as  spirit, 


BONGO  DIALECT. 


311 


soul,  hoj[fe,  and  /ear,  appear  to  be  absolutely  wanting,  but 
experience  shows  that  in  this  respect  other  negro  tongues  are 
not  more  richly  provided  by  nature.  The  labours  of  mis- 
sionaries in  translating  the  Scriptures  have  notoriously  intro- 
duced into  the  written  language  a  number  of  elevated 
idioms  and  of  metaphorical  ideas  which  very  probably  in  a 
few  generations  may  be  more  or  less  incorporated  into  the 
tongue,  but  to  the  student  of  language  who  shall  make  the 
gleanings  these  introductions  will  be  a  mere  refuse,  and  the 
only  subject  of  any  scientific  interest  will  be  the  speech  of 
the  people  as  it  was  while  it  remained  intact  and  unaffected 
by  innovation. 

Instances  of  the  indirect  method  which  is  employed  on  the 
part  of  the  Bongo  to  express  any  abstract  idea  may  here  be 
given.  The  monosyllable  "  firr,"  for  example  used  in  com- 
bination with  other  words,  answers  the  purpose  of  expressing 
any  of  the  following  ideas:  will,  love,  pleasure,  taste,  or 
speech.  The  true  conception  which  would  appear  to  be  the 
original  force  of  the  little  word,  is  first  the  will,  and  then  the 
expression  of  that  will  by  means  of  the  tongue.  The  phrase 
for  "  I  wish  it,"  would  be  "  firr  nahamah,"  which  is  literally, 
"  The  will  is  in  my  stomach." 

Nor  is  it  uninteresting  to  notice  the  various  equivalents 
which  are  found  of  one  and  the  same  word.  "  Mahee  "  means 
"  lance  "  and  "  meat "  in  general,  and  is  a  collective  expres- 
sion for  antelopes  of  every  kind ;  "  attamatta  "  is  employed 
equally  for  what  is  "bitter"  and  what  is  "annoying;"  "dill" 
implies  either  a  "shadow"  or  a  "cloud;"  "gimah"  is  used 
indifferently  for  either  "  a  son  "  or  "  a  boy,"  and  "  goah  "  for 
either  "  a  pit "  or  "  deep."  "  Helleleh  "  simply  means 
"  wind  "  or  air,"  but  by  reduplication  "  helleleh-helleleh," 
implies  whatever  is  "light."  Either  '^rain"  or  "the  sky" 
may  be  indicated  by  the  word  "  hetorro,"  and  "  ndan "  not 
merely  signifies  "  night,"  but  is  used  for  to-day."  This  last 
mode  of  expression  has  been  transferred  from  the  African  to 


312 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


the  Arabic  of  the  Eastern  Soudan,"  where  "fee  lehle"  means 
either  "  by  night "  or    this  very  day." 

The  disposition  which  is  ever  manifested  amongst  the 
untutored  children  of  nature  to  represent  certain  animals  by 
imitating  the  sounds  they  utter,  is  extended  amongst  the 
Bongo  to  describe  a  variety  of  inanimate  objects.  As 
examples  of  this  kind  of  nomenclature  I  may  mention 
"  golongolo  "  as  their  name  for  a  "  bell,"  "  gohi "  as  their  name 
for  a  "  cough,"  kulluluh  "  for  a  "  ball,"  and  "  marongonn  " 
for  "  snoring."  The  name  they  give  a  "  cat "  is  "  mbriow  " 
differing  little  in  its  pronunciation  from  "  mew." 

There  is  a  kind  of  poetry  which  underlies  many  of  their 
expressions,  and  which  invests  some  objects  with  a  certain 
charm  of  indefiniteness ;  thus  for  example  they  call  a  leaf 
" mbillee-kaggah,"  "an  ear  of  the  tree,"  and  a  man's  chest 
they  name    doah  kiddi,"  or  "  the  capital  of  the  veins." 

The  speech  of  a  people  is  very  often  indicative  of  the 
predominating  character  of  their  pursuits.  By  the  name  of 
mony,"  which  originally  meant  the  common  sorghum,  which 
is  the  staple  of  their  produce,  the  Bongo,  being  an  agri- 
cultural people,  have  come  to  denote  not  so  much  the  par- 
ticular corn,  as  eatables  of  any  description.  They  have, 
moreover,  adopted  this  word  as  the  root  of  a  verb  which  is 
conjugated.  In  a  way  corresponding  to  this  the  Niam-niam, 
who  are  mainly  addicted  to  hunting,  give  a  very  comprehen- 
sive meaning  to  their  word  "  push-yo,"  which  signifies  "  meat." 
Of  almost  infinite  variety  are  the  names  of  the  different 
individuals  among  the  Bongo.  I  had  opportunities  of  making- 
inquiries  whilst  I  was  measuring  nearly  a  hundred  of  the 
people,  and  I  do  not  think  that  I  found  more  than  five  names 
that  occurred  more  than  once.  As  a  regular  rule  parents 
name  their  children  after  trees  or  animals,  or  some  object  in 
nature,  and  it  is  quite  exceptional  for  any  personal  peculiarity 
to  be  associated  with  the  appellation. 

In  the  labyrinth  of  African  culture  it  is  very  difficult  to 


INTERMINGLING  OF  RACES. 


313 


disentangle  the  hundred  threads  which  lead  up  to  the  centre 
from  which  they  have  been  all  unwound.  Not  a  custom,  not 
a  superstition  is  found  in  one  part  which  is  not  more  or  less 
accurately  repeated  in  another;  not  one  contrivance  of 
design,  not  one  weapon  of  war  exists  of  which  it  can  be 
declared  that  it  is  exclusive  property  of  any  one  race.  From 
north  to  south,  and  from  sea  to  sea,  in  some  form  or  other 
every  invention  is  sure  to  be  repeated ;  it  is  "  the  thing  that 
has  been."  The  creative  hand  of  Nature  alone  produces  what 
is  new.  If  we  could  at  once  grasp  and  set  before  our  minds 
facts  that  are  known  (whether  as  regards  language,  race, 
culture,  history,  or  development)  of  that  vast  region  of  the 
world  which  is  comprehended  in  the  name  of  Africa,  we 
should  have  before  us  the  witness  of  an  intermingling  of 
races  which  is  beyond  all  precedent.  And  yet,  bewildering 
as  the  prospect  would  appear,  it  remains  a  fact  not  to  be 
gainsaid,  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  survey  the 
country  as  a  whole  without  perceiving  that  high  above  the 
multitude  of  individual  differences  there  is  throned  a  principle 
of  unity  which  embraces  well  nigh  all  the  population. 

Such  a  conclusion  has  been  amply  borne  out  by  the  pre- 
ceding delineation  of  the  Bongo,  who  form  an  element  in 
that  unity.  We  cannot  take  a  retrospect  of  the  particulars 
which  have  been  now  detailed  about  them,  without  the 
question  arising  as  to  which  of  the  other  races  of  Central 
Africa  most  nearly  resemble  the  Bongo.  Any  answer  to 
this  question  that  could  not  be  invalidated  would  afford 
hints  invaluable  for  the  investigation  of  the  latest  movements 
among  African  nations ;  but  I  must  confess  that  I  am  only 
hazarding  an  opinion  which  I  cannot  establish,  when  I  name 
the  countries  about  Lake  Tsad  as  being  those  in  which  the 
most  marked  similarity  in  habit  to  the  Boilgo  might  be 
expected,  and  the  tribes  to  which  I  would  more  particularly 
allude  are  the  Musgoo,  the  Massa,  the  Wandala,  and  the 
Loggon. 


314 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


I  conclude  by  repeating  the  comparison  which  I  made  at 
the  beginning  between  the  existence  of  a  people  and  a  drop 
of  water  evaporating  in  the  sea.  Ere  long,  the  Bongo  as  a 
people  will  be  quite  forgotten,  superseded  by  a  rising  race. 
The  time  cannot  be  far  off  when  this  race,  so  gifted  and  so 
impressionable,  shall  be  known  no  more.  The  domination 
over  the  people  w^hich  is  contemplated  in  Egypt  cannot  fail 
to  effect  this  result,  and  it  is  ,a  destiny  that  probably  awaits 
all  the  rest  of  the  African  races.  However  much  the  Nubian 
may  tyrannize,  he  still  leaves  the  poor  natives  a  portion  of 
their  happiness.  But  there  is  still  a  more  distant  future : 
after  the  Nubian  comes  the  Turk,  and  he  takes  all.  Truly 
it  is  not  without  reason  that  the  proverb  circulates  in  every 
district,  "  Where  the  Turk  has  been  no  grass  will  grow." 


CHAPTEE  YIII. 


Calamities  by  fire.  Deliverance  and  escape.  Six  women-slaves  burnt.  Bar- 
terings.  Domestication  of  wild -cats.  Plague  of  cockroaches.  Pillen-wasps. 
Agamse  and  chameleons.  Fever.  Meteorology.  Solar  phenomenon.  A 
festal  reception  with  an  unfortunate  result.  Disturbance  of  rest  at  night. 
Murmuring  of  prayers.  Jewish  school.  Orgies  and  drum-beating.  Casting 
out  devils.  Resolve  to  follow  Aboo  Sammat.  Start  towards  the  south. 
Passage  of  the  Tondy.  Character  of  the  forest.  The  water-bock.  Scenery 
by  night.  Shereefee's  attack.  Seriba  Duggoo.  Consequences  of  the 
steppe-burning.  Seriba  Dagguddoo.  Burnt  human  bones  and  charred  huts. 
Tropics  in  winter.  Two  kinds  of  ant-hills.  Arrival  in  Sabby,  Nocturnal 
festivities  of  the 'Bongo.  Desolation  of  the  country.  Goat-suckers.  Abund- 
ance of  game.  The  zebra-ichneumon.  The  spectral  mantis.  Lions.  Won- 
derful chase  after  hartebeests.    Snake  and  antelope  at  a  shot. 

So  satisfactory  was  the  condition  of  my  health  that  it  ap- 
peared to  me  entirely  to  confute  the  opinion  entertained  by 
Europeans  that  a  prolonged  residence  in  the  tropics  is  de- 
structive alike  of  physical  and  moral  energy.  For  those 
probably  who  live  in  indolent  repose,  and  who  are  surrounded 
by  all  the  appliances  of  domestic  comfort,  who,  so  far  from 
undertaking  the  trouble  of  a  journey,  have  scarcely  the 
activity  to  take  a  walk,  there  may  be  some  ground  for  the 
presumption ;  and  more  particularly  may  this  be  the  case  in 
Mohammedan  countries  where  slothfulness  and  laissez  /aire 
are  as  contagious  as  gaping  is  all  the  world  over.  But 
nothing  of  the  kind  is  to  be  found  for  a  traveller  whose 
elasticity  is  kept  at  all  on  the  stretch,  and  who  is  conscious 
of  not  having  a  minute  to  spare ;  the  exercise  of  his  faculties 
will  keep  them  in  vigour  as  full  as  though  he  were  still  on 
his  native  soil.    For  my  own  part,  I  could  not  help  thinking 


316 


THE  HBAET  OF  AFKICA. 


of  the  contrast  between  the  rainy  season  which  I  spent  here 
and  that  which,  in  1865,  I  had  passed  in  Gallabat ;  now  all 
was  animated  and  cheerful ;  life  seemed  free  from  care ;  my 
health  was  unimpaired,  and  I  enjoyed  the  most  intimate 
converse  with  Nature;  but  then,  on  the  contrary,  it  had 
been  a  perpetual  struggle  between  getting  well  and  getting 
ill,  and  I  had  never  ceased  to  be  haunted  by  the  depressing 
influences  of  a  weary  spirit. 

However  happily  my  time  in  the  Seriba  glided  on,  still  it 
was  not  altogether  free  from  peril.  An  incident  full  of  alarm 
occurred  to  me  on  the  night  of  the  22nd  of  May.  The  rain 
was  coming  down  in  torrents,  and  about  two  hours  after 
midnight  a  tremendous  storm  ensued.  The  thunderclaps 
rattling  through  the  woods  sounded  like  an  avalanche,  and 
coming  rapidly  one  upon  another,  seemed  to  keep  pace  with 
the  lightning  which  gleamed  through  the  darkness  of  the 
night.  Suddenly  there  was  a  shrieking  of  women's  voices, 
and  at  the  same  instant  the  blackness  of  night  was  changed 
to  the  light  of  day,  as  the  blaze  of  a  burning  hut  flared  up 
aloft.  The  flaming  structure  was  only  separated  from  my 
own  quarters  by  my  single  granary.  Aroused  by  the  outcry 
I  sprang  up ;  for  to  be  caught  asleep  in  an  edifice  constructed 
of  straw  and  bamboo  is  to  be  enveloped  in  fire,  and  is  almost 
certain  death.  The  hazard  was  very  imminent ;  in  a  very  few 
minutes  my  hut  must  apparently  be  in  flames ;  the  work  of 
demolition  began  at  once ;  my  powder  was  conveyed  without 
delay  to  a  place  of  safety ;  my  chests  and  my  herbarium 
were  then  secured ;  all  the  smaller  articles  of  my  furniture 
were  thrown  into  great  waterproof  coverings  and  dragged 
out  en  masse.  Perhaps  about  half  of  my  property  had  thus 
been  placed  out  of  jeopardy  when  we  observed  that  the  wind 
bore  the  flames  in  a  difierent  direction,  and  fortunately  the 
liglit  framework  of  the  burning  roof  gave  way  and  it  soon 
fell  in ;  saturated  as  the  straw  was  with  the  rain  it  put  a 
check  to  the  further  spreading  of  the  flames.    Now  was  the 


KILLED  BY  LIGHTNING. 


317 


time  to  draw  our  breath  and  look  around;  we  could  now 
give  over  our  hurry  and  scurry,  and  examine  the  real  con- 
dition of  things.  I  stood  almost  petrified  at  the  reflection 
how  narrowly  I  had  escaped  coming  to  utter  grief  on  this 
unlucky  night ;  I  thought  how  deplorable  had  been  my  lot 
if  I  had  been  reduced  to  a  condition  of  nakedness  and  want 
in  this  inhospitable  land ;  I  became  alive  to  the  sense  of 
shame  with  which  I  should  have  retraced  my  way  back  to 
Khartoom  within  a  year,  and  with  my  task  unfinished;  1 
was  dispirited ;  I  knew  not  what  might  happen,  and  perhaps 
this  fire  was  only  a  prelude  to  yet  more  bitter  experience. 

The  tokkul  which  had  been  burnt  down  was  hardly  five- 
and-twenty  paces  from  my  very  bed.  There,  struck  by 
lightning,  six  female  slaves  had  met  their  simultaneous 
death ;  a  seventh  had  been  untouched  by  the  electric  fluid, 
and  had  contrived,  half  dead  from  burning,  to  effect  an 
escape  from  the  flaming  pile.  When  a  clearance  was  made 
on  the  next  morning,  after  the  ashes  had  been  removed,  the 
bodies  of  the  ill-fated  women  were  found  completely  charred, 
lying  closely  packed  together  just  as  they  had  gone  to  sleep 
in  the  hut  around  its  centre  support,  which  had  been  the 
conductor  of  the  lightning.  They  formed  a  ghastly  spectacle, 
at  which  even  the  native  negroes  could  not  suppress  a 
shudder,  whilst  the  recently  imported  Niam-niam  slaves 
made  no  disguise  of  the  relish  with  which  they  scented  the 
odour  of  the  burnt  flesh,  as  they  helped  to  clear  away  the 
debris.  Scarcely  any  incident  could  befall  a  traveller'  more 
disquieting  than  this ;  it  had  haunted  me  in  my  dreams  all 
through  my  sojourn  in  the  Soudan ;  forebodings  of  it  had 
stuck  to  my  fancy,  and  now  it  appeared  to  be  well-nigh  on 
the  very  point  of  literal  fulfilment. 

One  of  the  Nubian  soldiers  had,  amongst  the  six  victims 
of  the  conflagration,  to  bewail  the  loss  of  his  sweetheart.  To 
such  a  degree  did  this  bereavement  prey  upon  him  that  he 
entirely  lost  his  reason,  and  so  gave  a  considerable  amount  of 


318 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


trouble  to  the  occupants  of  the  Seriba.  An  instance  oi 
affection  like  this  never  came  to  my  knowledge  elsewhere  in 
these  districts. 

As  far  as  regards  danger  from  fire,  the  settlement  here 
was  at  a  disadvantage  when  compared  with  various  Seribas 
in  which  the  huts  are  not  crowded  so  closely  together ;  but 
in  other  respects,  such  as  the  more  complete  security  of  the 
territory  itself,  the  abundance  of  provisions,  the  rareness  of 
mosquitoes,  and  the  small  number  of  white  ants,  this  Seriba 
had  recommendations  which  put  every  other  in  the  shade. 
Very  advantageous  was  the  appearance  at  my  door,  morning 
after  morning,  of  the  neighbouring  Dinka,  who  brought  every 
variety  of  their  productions  for  me  to  purchase.  In  this  way 
I  was  kept  amply  provided  not  only  with  yams  and  earthnuts, 
the  purest  of  oil  and  the  finest  of  honey,  but  I  was  able 
readily  to  obtain  all  the  corn  I  required  for  my  retinue. 
Moreover,  it  happened  not  unfrequently  that  I  had  some 
natural  production  offered  me  of  considerable  rarity,  and 
thus  the  edge  of  my  botanical  curiosity  was  kept  continually 
sharpened.  In  the  very  depth  of  the  rainy  season  by  getting 
the  eggs  of  some  geese  and  bustards,  and  even  of  some 
ostriches,  I  managed  to  counterbalance  the  meagre  produce 
of  my  poultry-breeding. 

Of  these  opportunities  of  seeing  considerable  numbers  of 
the  natives  gathered  round  me,  I  made  the  best  use  I  could 
to  obtain  the  measurements  of  their  bodies,  an  achievement 
on  which  I  had  set  my  mind  with  some  degree  of  pertinacity. 
At  the  end  of  one  year's  residence  in  the  interior  I  had  made 
a  synopsis  (under  about  forty  heads)  of  the  measurements  of 
nearly  two  hundred  individuals,  but  unfortunately  very  few 
of  my  memoranda  are  now  forthcoming.  During  my  inter- 
course with  the  natives  I  very  often  allowed  what  pictures  I 
had  to  be  exhibited,  in  order  to  satisfy  their  repeated  in- 
quiries. All  they  saw  stirred  up  their  unfeigned  delight,  and 
continually  prompted  them  to  ask  in  astonishment  why  they 


SPEKE  AND  BAKER'S  TRAVELS. 


319 


had  not  learnt  the  same  things  from  the  "Turks,"  and  to 
express  their  conviction  that  that  must  be  a  wonderful 
country  where  tools  and  guns  were  made.  The  indolent 
Nubians,  too,  would  pay  me  visits  most  assiduously  till  I  was 
absolutely  weary  of  them.  They  would  often  make  their 
appearance  quite  early  and  I  could  only  disengage  myself  ^ 
from  them  by  letting  them  have  my  books  and  pictures 
about  Africa  to  look  through.  The  illustrations  in  *  Le  Tour 
du  Monde,'  in  Speke's  'Travels,'  and  in  Baker's  'Hunting 
Adventures,'  all  alike  furnished  them  with  inexhaustible 
material  for  question  and  answer.  They  shouted  their  appro- 
bation aloud,  and  crowned  their  admiring  estimate  of  any 
picture  by  crying  out  "  bazyatoo  "  (the  very  facsimile),  again 
and  again.  The  name  which  Speke's  book  acquired  in  the 
Seriba  was  *The  History  of  King  Kamrasi,'  while  they 
called  Baker's  work  '  The  Book  of  the  Elephant  Hunter.' 

In  the  beginning  of  September  I  was  able  to  make  a 
despatch  to  the  river  of  my  treasures  I  had  collected,  and  to 
forward  them  by  way  of  Khartoom  to  Europe.  I  had  up- 
wards of  forty  packages,  and  to  put  them  together  and  make 
them  secure  was  the  business  of  a  good  many  days.  Par- 
ticularly laborious  was  it  to  sew  them  all  upon  skins,  and 
still  more  laborious,  I  do  not  doubt,  to  rip  them  up  again 
when  they  reached  their  destination ;  for  during  their  transit 
across  the  parching  desert,  the  hides  are  not  unfrequently  so 
dried  up  that  they  become  as  hard  as  tin.  For  the  protection 
of  my  packages  and  to  prevent  the  botanical  contents  being 
invaded  by  insects  or  gnawed  by  rats,  I  had  no  difficulty  in 
providing  the  caoutchouc  substance  of  the  Carpodinus,  the 
"  Mono-"  of  the  Bongo.  This  I  obtained  in  a  fresh  condition, 
when  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  well-set  cream,  and  washed  it 
lightly  over  the  linen  or  the  paper  like  a  varnish.  Not  an 
insect  found  its  way  through  this  coating,  and  my  packages 
all  arrived  thoroughly  uninjured  in  spite  of  their  being  a 
twelvemonth  on  their  way.    Less  adapted  for  the  purpose  I 


320 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFKICA. 


found  both  the  milky  sap  of  the  fig  and  of  the  butter  tree, 
because  it  is  not  so  uniform  in  its  character  and  does  not 
admit  of  being  spread  so  readily. 

The  produce  of  Ghattas's  Company  was  this  year  four 
hundred  loads,  being  somewhere  about  220  cwt.,  which  would 
be  worth  in  Khartoom  nearly  4()00Z.  In  order  to  reach  this 
amount,  certainly  not  less  than  three  hundred  elephants  had 
been  destroyed,  and  probably  considerably  more. 

Although  the  ants  at  this  spot  did  not  abound  in  the 
wholesale  way  in  which  they  did  in  many  other  Seribas,  there 
were  nevertheless  plenty  of  inconveniences  in  my  quarters, 
and  like  every  other  traveller  I  had  to  get  accustomed  to 
them  as  soon  as  I  could. 

My  want  of  space  was  a  great  difficulty.  I  was  hardly  at 
all  better  off  in  the  hut  where  I  ordinarily  lived  than  in  an 
old  overcrowded  lumber  room.  I  had  no  cupboards  and  no 
small  chests,  and  consequently  I  was  compelled  to  be  ever 
packing  up  and  unpacking  my  thousand  bits  of  property. 
The  framework,  of  my  own  construction,  which  reached  up 
into  the  circular  roof  did  something  to  increase  my  accommo- 
dation, and  I  hung  bags  upon  it  containing  my  clothes  and 
my  linen,  and  a  whole  host  of  little  things  besides  I  stuck 
into  the  straw  thatch  above.  Under  such  circumstances, 
no  wonder  that  I  had  perpetual  conflict  with  rats,  crickets, 
and  cock-roaches,  and  that  they  were  a  constant  source  of 
annoyance. 

The  only  method  which  was  really  an  effectual  guarantee 
for  the  protection  of  any  articles  from  being  gnawed  to  bits 
was  to  hang  them  up ;  but  whenever  at  nightfall  I  had  any 
packages  which  could  not  be  suspended  there  was  one  device 
of  which  I  made  use,  and  which  was  tolerably  successful  in 
keeping  rats  at  a  distance.  One  of  the  commonest  animals 
hereabouts  was  the  wild  cat  of  the  steppes  (Felis  manicvr 
lata).  Although  the  natives  do  not  breed  them  as  domestic 
animals,  yet  they  catch  them  separately  when  they  are  quite 


NOXIOUS  VERMIN, 


321 


young  and  find  no  difficulty  in  reconciling  them  to  a  life  about 
their  huts  and  enclosures,  where  they  grow  up  and  wage  their 
natural  warfare  against  the  rats.  I  procured  several  of  these 
cats,  which,  after  they  had  been  kept  tied  up  for  several  days, 
seemed  to  lose  a  considerable  measure  of  their  ferocity  and  to 
adapt  themselves  to  an  indoor  existence  so  as  to  approach  in 
many  ways  to  the  habits  of  the  common  cat.  By  night  1 
attached  them  to  my  parcels,  which  were  otherwise  in 
jeopardy,  and  by  this  means  I  could  go  to  bed  without 
further  fear  of  any  depredations  from  the  rats. 

Quite  helpless,  however,  did  I  appear  with  regard  to  the 
devastations  of  the  crickets,  which  found  their  way  through 
my  stoutest  chests,  ate  holes  into  all  my  bags,  and  actually 
fretted  my  very  wearing-apparel  and  body-linen.  Subse- 
quently I  received  a  supply  of  borax,  and  this  turned  out  to 
be  an  adequate  security  against  their  mischief. 

The  encroachment  of  the  wood-worms  in  the  bamboos 
which  composed  my  hut  developed  itself  into  a  nuisance  of  a 
fresh  sort.  To  myself  it  was  a  matter  of  great  indifference 
whether  the  building  collapsed  sooner  or  later,  but  just  at 
present  it  was  a  great  annoyance  to  me  that  all  day  long 
there  should  be  an  unceasing  shower  of  fine  yellow  dust, 
which  accumulated  on  everything  till  it  lay  as  thick  as  my 
finger,  and  almost  exceeded  the  bounds  of  endurance. 

Another  noxious  insect  which  was  to  be  found  in  every 
hut  was  the  Pillen-wasp  (Eumenes  Unctor).  This  was  nearly 
two  inches  long,  and  had  a  habit  of  forming  its  nest  in  the 
straw  right  at  the  top  of  the  circular  roof.  Associated  with 
eight  or  ten  others  it  made  a  huge  cell,  and  flying  in  and  out 
through  the  narrow  doorway,  which  was  the  only  avenue  for 
light,  it  came  into  constant  collision  with  my  face.  Its 
sting  was  attended  by  distracting  agony  far  worse  than  the 
sting  of  any  bee.  Throughout  the  entire  year  I  was  baffled 
by  these  wasps,  which  were  beautiful  in  colour,  having  wings 
of  a  fine  violet  blue.    I  made  many  attempts  to  destroy  their 

Vol.  I.— 23 


322 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


ingeniously-constructed  nest,  and  only  succeeded  after  catch- 
ing them  in  a  butterfly-net  and  killing  them  one  by  one. 

Throughout  the  tropics  the  harmless  kinds  of  lizards  may 
invariably  be  reckoned  amongst  the  settlers  in  every  house. 
Prettily  marked  skinks  (Euprepes  quinquelineatus  and  E. 
pleurostietus)  enlivened  my  abode,  whilst  the  graceful  gecko 
iSemidactylus  verrucalutus)  clambered  up  and  down  the 
walls  just  as  frequently  as  in  Egypt  and  in  Nubia.  But 
more  numerous  than  all  were  the  sociable  agamse  {Agama 
colonorum),  which  kept  nodding  their  heads  in  a  way  that 
was  extremely  irritating  to  the  Mohammedans,  who  fancied 
that  it  was  the  devil  making  fun  of  their  prayers.  I  had 
previously  repeatedly  seen  this  species  of  the  lizard  in  the 
overhanging  rocky  crags  of  the  desert  valleys  on  the  Egyp- 
tian coast  of  the  Eed  Sea ;  but  here  it  appeared  to  lodge 
itself  quite  as  freely  in  the  huts  as  in  the  woods.  The  head 
of  the  male  is  of  an  orange-colour,  and  is  easily  detected 
from  a  considerable  distance.  Very  ridiculous  are  their 
movements  when  any  one  approaches  a  tree  upon  which  they 
are  running  up  and  down.  They  betake  themselves  to  the 
farther  side  of  the  stem,  and  keep  stopping  at  intervals,  peep- 
ing out  cunningly  first  from  one  branch  and  then  from 
another,  their  large  eyes  beaming  with  a  most  knowing 
expression.  Their  favourite  resort,  however,  in  this  district 
was  the  old  woodwork  of  the  palisades,  and  there  they 
mustered  in  thousands. 

I  was  very  much  surprised,  at  the  beginning  of  the  rainy 
season,  at  the  large  number  of  chameleons  which  at  intervals 
clustered  themselves  upon  the  sprouting  foliage.  The 
common  African  sort  grows  to  a  very  unusual  size,  and  I 
saw  several  which  could  hardly  be  less  than  ten  inches  long. 
Scarcely  less  abundant  is  the  smaller  and  slimmer  species 
{C.  Isevigatus),  which  does  not  exhibit  quite  to  the  same 
extent  the  changes  of  its  colour.  Rolling  its  eyes  in  a  very 
remarkable  manner  it  answered  the  same  purpose  as  the 


VALUE  OF  QUININE. 


323 


agama,  with  its  nodding  head,  of  getting  up  a  joke  against 
the  Mohammedan  fanatics.  "  What  is  a  chameleon  like  ?  " 
I  used  to  ask  them,  and  not  over  delighted  were  they  when 
they  were  told  that  the  chameleon,  with  its  one  eye  up  and 
the  other  eye  down,  was  a  faki  looking  up  to  God  in  heaven, 
but  at  the  same  time  keeping  a  sharp  look-out  upon  the 
dollars  of  earth. 

Thoroughly  free,  as  I  have  said,  from  fever,  during  March 
and  April,  I  persevered  in  taking  my  daily  dose  of  ten 
grains  or  more  of  quinine ;  but  as  the  heat  diminished,  and 
as  the  rainy  season  at  its  height  was  not  so  full  of  miasma, 
I  gradually  diminished,  and  in  June  and  July  entirely  gave 
lip  my  uniform  administration  of  the  tonic.  But  quinine 
still  remained  my  sole  medicine,  my  only  resort  in  every 
contingency.  If  ever  I  got  a  chill,  if  ever  I  was  wet 
through,  or  was  troubled  with  any  symptoms  of  indigestion, 
I  lost  no  time  in  using  it,  knowing  that  for  any  traveller 
in  a  region  such  as  this,  any  indisposition  whatever  is  simply 
a  doorway  through  which  fever  insidiously  creeps  and  effects 
its  dangerous  lodgment.  Any  sudden  giddiness  in  the  head, 
or  any  spasm  between  the  shoulders,  or  any  failure  in  the 
functions  of  the  limbs  were  all,  I  do  not  doubt,  warnings  of 
the  ill-omened  visitor,  which  I  accepted  in  time  to  avert.  Not 
only,  as  I  have  remarked,  were  fevers  here  quite  common,  but 
my  own  attendant,  who  had  accompanied  me  from  Alexan- 
dria, was  prostrated  some  days  by  a  very  serious  attack,  and 
his  condition  of  health  was  so  much  impaired  that  he  had 
to  be  sent  back  on  the  next  return  of  the  boats.  There  were 
others,  too,  of  my  own  people  who  had  to  endure  attacks  of 
less  severity. 

Expecting,  as  I  had  been,  a  much  larger  fall  of  rain,  I 
could  not  be  otherwise  than  much  surprised  at  the  meteo- 
rological facts  which  were  actually  exhibited.  Although  the 
rainfall  extends  over  a  longer  period,  the  total  average  fall 
of  water  is  less  here  than  it  is  either  in  Gallabat  or  in 


324 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFKICA. 


Upper  Sennaar,  where  the  rain  lasts  only  from  the  beginning 
of  May  to  the  beginning  of  October.  There  the  rain,  almost 
without  exception,  fell  every  night,  and  all  night  from  sunset 
till  daybreak ;  but  here  it  was  the  result  of  experience  that 
the  rain  ordinarily  was  to  be  expected  between  noon  and 
night.  All  travelling  consequently  has  to  be  accomplished 
before  midday,  and  the  journeyings  are  necessarily  shorter 
than  in  the  dry  winter  months.  It  may  be  taken  as  a  rule 
that  holds  good  very  generally  throughout  the  tropics  that 
if  the  sun  rises  clear  or  becomes  clear  shortly  after  rising, 
there  will  pretty  certainly  be  no  rain  for  seme  four  or  five 
hours.  In  Gallabat  it  was  considered  rather  a  feat  to  walk 
during  the  rainy  season  from  one  house  to  another  either 
in  slippers  or  in  Turkish  shoes,  but  here,  day  after  day,  such 
protection  for  the  soles  of  the  feet  was  quite  sufficient,  even 
where  the  ground  was  not  at  all  rocky. 

European  vegetables  in  Gallabat  had  generally  been 
found  to  puffer  from  the  excessive  wet,  and  others  had 
either  run  into  weeds  or  in  some  way  degenerated,  but  here, 
from  May  till  August,  we  cultivated  many  sorts  successfully, 
and  made  good  use  of  the  intervals  which,  sometimes  for 
four  or  six  days  together,  passed  without  any  rain  whatever. 
To  confirm  what  I  have  said,  I  adduce  the  facts  that  in 
March  1869,  in  the  centre  of  Bongoland  (lat.  T  20'  N.),  the 
"Khareef  "  was  opened  by  four  little  showers;  in  April  there 
were  seven  considerable  pourings;  in  May  seven  falls  of 
i:ain,  lasting  several  hours ;  in  June  ten,  in  July  eleven,  and 
in  August  twelve.  These  must  not  be  reckoned  as  days  of 
rain,  for  the  truth  is,  an  entire  day  of  uninterrupted  rain 
never  once  occurred.  The  rainfall  only  up  to  June  was 
attended  by  tempests  or  thunderstorms,  after  which  date 
the  violence  of  them  gradually  and  almost  entirely  abated. 
Heuglin  in  1863  had  made  the  same  observation.  At  the 
end  of  July  there  ensued  an  entire  change  of  temperature, 
and  only  in  exceptionally  hot  afternoons  did  the  heat  ever 


CLIMATE  AND  TEMPEKATUEE. 


325 


again  reach  the  extreme  point  which  it  had  done  previously ; 
but  even  at  its  maximum  it  had  never  exceeded  95'^  Fahr. 
in  the  huts,  whilst  in  the  open  air  it  was  ordinarily  2'^  lower. 
I  could  now  rejoice  in  a  degree  of  heat  scarcely  above  what 
is  common  in  our  northern  zone,  and  seldom  registered  a 
temperature  above  77°  Fahr.  in  my  own  quarters.  This 
fall  in  the  thermometer  is  very  beneficial  and  refreshing 
to  the  European,  whose  skin,  exhausted  by  repeated  per- 
spiration, is  very  often  distressed  by  a  perpetual  nettlerash. 

The  earliest  rain  which  I  observed  this  year  fell  while  I 
was  still  at  the  Meshera  on  the  2nd  of  March;  and  the 
16th  of  that  month  was  the  date  on  which  the  wind  altered 
its  course,  and  for  the  first  time  deviated  from  its  long- 
prevailing  north-easterly  direction. 

The  uniformity  of  climate  in  equatorial  Africa  contributes 
very  much  to  extend  the  range  of  particular  species  of 
plants.  To  this  may  be  added  the  absence  of  those  moun- 
tain systems  which  elsewhere,  as  in  Asia,  traverse  the  con- 
tinent in  all  directions.  Without  let  or  hindrance  the 
trade-winds  exert  their  influence  over  the  entire  breadth 
of  this  region.  Any  interruption  of  the  rainy  season  be- 
tween the  two  zenith  positions  of  th'e  sun,  which  in  Bongo- 
land  are  some  months  apart,  has  never  been  authenticated. 
Although  upon  the  north-west  terraces  of  Abyssinia  the 
rainy  season  might  appear,  through  the  influence  of  the 
mountains,  to  be  obliterated  or  obscure,  yet  it  could  always 
be  traced ;  but  nevertheless  the  whole  aggregate  of  circum- 
stances which  contribute  to  these  precedents  is  not  to  be 
estimated  during  the  transitory  observations  of  one  short 
sojourn. 

•  Neither  during  the  continuation  of  my  wanderings  towards 
the  south  did  I  find  any  indication  which  seemed  to  evidence 
that  two  rainy  seasons  had  anywhere  coalesced  so  as  to 
become  one  continuous  period  of  rain,  which  sufiiced  through- 
out the  year  to  maintain  an  uninterrupted  renewal  of  vege- 


326 


THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 


tation.  Nowhere  in  the  equatorial  districts  which  I  visited 
(not  even  in  the  territory  of  the  Monbuttoo,  of  which  the  lati- 
tude is  between  3°  and  4°  N.)  did  it  appear  that  there  ever 
failed  a  uniform  period  for  foliage  to  develop  itself.  Apparent 
exceptions  might  be  found  where  the  condition  of  the  soil 
is  never  otherwise  than  wet  throughout  the  year ;  but  even 
in  this  low  latitude  there  is  a  dry  season  and  a  wet  season, 
just  as  decided  as  in  Nubia,  twelve  degrees  further  to  the 
north. 

Between  five  and  six  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  18th 
of  May,  while  I  was  absorbed  in  my  writing,  I  was  suddenly 
startled  by  the  outcry  of  a  number  of  my  people  calling  me 
to  make  haste  out  and  witness  the  singular  appearance  which 
was  arresting  their  attention  on  the  south-west  horizon. 
Great  masses  of  clouds  were  covering  the  declining  sun, 
whilst  all  below  the  heavy  cumulus  the  heavens  gleamed 
with  the  golden  shimmer  of  a  glorious  sunset.  Like  a  pile 
from  the  mighty  Alps,  stern  and  imposing,  surrounded  by 
dazzling  glaciers  and  by  many  an  avalanche,  the  central 
clouds  of  this  great  gathering  massed  themselves  in  pon- 
derous layers  which  rolled  majestically  to  the  north.  Starting- 
out  abruptly  from  the  brilliant  glare  of  the  setting  sun,  these 
layers  on  their  upper  edge  distinctly  assumed  the  form  of 
three  vast  swellings,  while  around  the  margin  of  each  of 
these  there  gleamed  the  light  of  an  unearthly  glory ;  colours 
of  the  richest  hue  combined  to  give  an  effect  as  though 
each  of  the  projecting  accumulations  were  circled  by  a 
rainbow.  Midway  between  the  vanishing  violet  of  the  bow 
and  the  sombre  ridge  of  cloud  streamed  a  flood  of  light 
which  repeated  itself  upon  the  superior  margin  of  the 
wondrous  spectrum.  In  three  directions  (issuing  not  di- 
rectly as  from  the  sun  in  the  centre  of  the  mass,  but 
as  though  two  parhelia  besides  contributed  their  power) 
there  rose  separately  from  each  of  the  three  tumescent 
rolls  of  cloud  shadowy  beams  of  light  embracing  the  whole 


XU  tlbr«7 


SOLAR  PHENOMENON. 


327 


firmament  above,  whilst  in  addition  to  all  this,  there  were 
secondary  groups  of  beams  diverging  from  the  angles  where 
the  rainbow  arches  intersected.  An  appearance  somewhat 
similar  to  these  shadowed  rays  or  streaks  of  alternate  light  and 
shade,  resulting  from  the  unequal  masses  of  the  floating  clouds, 
has  been  recorded  by  Professor  Tyndall  as  witnessed  in  Algiers. 
The  colour  of  the  rainbows  on  their  edge  nearest  to  the 
sun,  and  in  consequence  approximate  to  the  clouds,  was 
so  remarkable  that  it  could  not  fail  to  excite  my  attention. 
Altogether  it  was  a  spectacle  not  to  be  forgotten.  The 
rainbow-like  phenomenon  had  not  the  appearance  of  being  an 
ordinary  arch  repeated  thrice,  but  was  one  scallopped  bow 
composed  of  three  distinct  but  successive  limbs:  it  con- 
tinued for  about  five  minutes,  and  allowed  me  ample  time 
to  make  a  sketch  of  its  striking  features.* 

*  The  phenomenon  here  depicted  is  closely  allied  to  those  tinted  halos 
which  are  seen  in  so  much  diversity  and  under  so  many  modifications  around 
both  sun  and  moon.  In  Schumacher's  '  Astronomische  Jahrbiicher '  (Altona, 
1823)  Fraunhofer  has  detailed  the  theory  of  these  halos,  and  has  proved  his 
assertions  by  many  examples  that  had  fallen  under  his  own  observation. 
Whenever  the  sun  or  the  moon  is  surrounded  by  a  halo,  the  sky  is  ordinarily 
veiled  in  light  vapours.  If  the  phenomenon  is  perfect,  the  rings  of  this  halo 
are  seen  to  be  of  the  colours  of  the  rainbow.  Fraunhofer  divides  these  halos 
into  two  classes :  viz.,  halos  of  a  small  and  halos  of  a  large  diameter.  If  the 
red  tint  is  outside  and  away  from  the  luminous  body,  as  in  the  present  case,  he 
calls  it  a  halo  of  the  smaller  kind ;  but  if  the  red  is  inside  and  next  to  the 
luminous  body,  it  is  a  halo  of  the  larger  kind.  This  latter  case  is  closely 
allied  to  the  phenomenon  of  parhelia.  The  cause  of  these  tinted  halos  is  to  be 
found  in  a  diffraction  of  light  through  globules  of  Vapour,  and  Fraunhofer  has 
given  proof  that  the  light,  in  passing  across  the  edges  of  these  globules,  would 
assume  an  appearance  of  diffraction  similar  to  that  which  would  be  caused  by 
its  passing  through  minute  apertures.  For  the  formation  of  a  tinted  circle  it 
is  necessary  that  the  globules  should  be  equally  diffused  and  of  an  equal 
magnitude.  If  the  globules  were  very  irregular,  there  would  be  only  a  bright 
glare,  because  the  eye  would  receive  rays  of  various  colours  from  one  and  the 
same  spot  in  the  atmosphere;  then  the  result  would  be  that  the  light  would  be 
white,  as  in  the  case  under  our  notice  it  appeared  directly  round  the  outline  of 
the  cloud,  and  also  beyond  the  outside  ring  of  red,  so  that  the  coloured  circle 
was  bounded  on  each  side  by  a  rim  of  white  light.  The  smaller  the  globules 
of  vapour,  the  larger  are  the  tinted  rings,  for  according  to  the  theory  the  dia- 
meters of  the  rings  are  in  inverse  ratio  to  those  of  the  globules.  According  to 
another  theory  represented  by  Galle  (Poggendorfs  '  Annalen,'  vol.  xhx.),  one 


328 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


During  September  I  found  an  opportunity  to  make  a 
third  excursion  to  the  Tondy,  and  had  the  good  fortune  to 
make  some  valuable  additions  to  my  botanical  store,  but 
apart  from  this  my  days  glided  on  without  variety,  and  I 
have  no  episodes  of  interest  to  relate. 

Fastened  down  as  I  was  for  the  present  to  one  spot,  I  had 
to  limit  my  observations  to  its  immediate  neighbourhood, 
and  accordingly  with  considerable  perseverance  and  at  the 
cost  of  some  trouble,  and,  I  may  be  permitted  to  add,  of 
a  good  deal  of  soap,  I  went  on  taking  the  measurements 
of  many  of  the  natives,  who  I  thought  might  render  me 
service.  There  were  hundreds  of  bearers,  and  after  dili- 
gently reclvoning  them  up  and  instituting  comparisons  based 
on  written  estimates  and  on  a  variety  of  portraits,  I  was 
able  to  satisfy  myself  as  to  the  characteristic  features  of 
their  nationality  which  they  exhibit.  I  moreover  devoted 
a  considerable  time  to  learn  the  dialects  of  the  district,  and 
found  that  the  facility  with  which  the  different  slaves  had 
mastered  Arabic  in  their  intercourse  with  the  Nubians  was 
of  great  assistance  to  me  in  my  endeavours. 

Now  and  then  there  would  occur  incidents  that  were 
somewhat  ludicrous.  One  day  a  visit  from  the  superin- 
tendent of  a  distant  Seriba  was  announced,  and  Idrees  was 
all  on  the  alert  to  give  his  colleague  a  fitting  reception. 
The  arrival  was  expected  of  Ali,  the  Yokil  of  Biselli,  under 
whose  guidance  Miss  Tinne  had  passed  the  most  memorable 
year  of  her  life.  In  readiness  for  the  entrance  of  Ali  into 
the  Seriba,  the  whole  armed  force  was  drawn  up  in  double 

cause  of  these  tinted  halos  is  •  the  presence  in  the  atmosphere  of  ice-crystals  of 
microscopic  minuteness ;  but  this  hypothesis  seems  confuted  by  the  fact  that 
similar  phenomena  have  frequently  been  witnessed  within  the  tropics  (Alex, 
von  Humboldt,  Voyage  II.,  p.  309 ).  This  phenomena  of  the  18th  of  May,  18G9, 
was  remarkable  for  the  form  of  the  tinted  circle,  which  corresponded  exactly 
with  the  accidental  outline  of  the  clouds,  which  presented  a  threefold  curve, 
thus  ^-/"V^  .  Tims  the  entire  rim  of  the  cloud  became  a  series  of  luminous 
sunlight  points  formed  of  globules  of  vapour,  making  a  halo  of  the  smaller 
class,  and  sending  forth  their  own  shadows. 


PRAYERS  OF  THE  PRIESTS. 


329 


line  before  the  gate.  Ali  was  not  only  Ali  (*'tall  and 
strong")  by  name,  but  he  was  in  fact  a  head  taller  than 
any  of  his  retinue.  Full  of  state,  with  majestic  mien,  with 
the  turban  of  the  believer  upon  his  head  and  the  splendid 
hezam  of  Tarablus  around  his  loins,  he  was  just  entering 
the  military  avenue  when  the  soldiers  fired  their  salute.  The 
discharge  was  rendered,  and  they  all  mutually  smothered 
each  other  in  smoke.  But  the  echoes  of  the  salute  were 
hardly  silent,  and  wreaths  of  smoke  still  hovered  in  the  air, 
when  all  of  a  sudden  the  solemnity  was  interrupted  by  the 
cry  of  "Kussahs!  russahs!"  (bullets,  bullets),  and  one  of 
the  soldiers  rushed  from  the  ranks,  dashed  down  his  rausket, 
and  seemed  bereft  of  his  senses.  In  truth,  his  vis-a-vis  had 
forgotten  to  remove  the  charge  from  his  rusty  old  gun,  and 
the  shots  that  had  been  designed  for  the  geese  in  some 
neighbouring  marsh  had  terribly  punished  the  legs  of  his 
unfortunate  comrade.  The  poor  fellow  applied  to  me  for 
assistance,  but  I  could  not  help  him  otherwise  than  by 
a  kind  word.  I  had  not  in  my  possession  any  instruments 
to  extract  the  shot,  and  so  I  did  the  best  I  could  to  pacify  by 
quoting  mysterious  texts,  and  by  commending  him  to  the 
mercy  of  Allah. 

Earely  did  a  week  elapse  without  the  repetition  of  some 
such  mischance  as  this.  Perpetually  in  peril  myself  of 
being  shot,  I  was  ever  being  called  upon  to  exercise  my 
surgical  skill  either  in  bandaging  fractures,  or  in  extracting 
balls  great  or  small ;  but  as  most  frequently  the  shots  found 
their  way  into  the  legs  of  the  sufferers,  in  the  legs  most 
frequently  I  allowed  them  to  remain. 

Although  my  fatigue  by  day  made  repose  by  night  very 
essential  to  me,  my  rest  was  sadly  disturbed  by  the  habits 
of  my  people.  Quite  intolerable  at  times  was  the  eternal 
babbling  of  their  prayers,  which,  beginning  in  the  evening 
hours,  were  wearily  prolonged,  and  nothing  could  accustom 
me  to  the  clamour  which  they  made.    They  seemed  times 


330 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


to  drive  me  in  my  impatience  well-nigh  to  distraction. 
Some  priests  had  arrived  from  Darfoor,  who  surpassed  all 
else  in  the  clamour  they  raised.  With  a  lot  of  gibberish 
utterly  incomprehensible,  through  their  antiquated  pronun- 
ciation, to  any  of  the  Nubians,  they  proceeded  to  recite  the 
verses  of  the  Koran  with  the  grinding  monotony  of  a  mill. 
My  own  people,  however,  devoted  Mohammedans  as  they 
were,  on  these  occasions  took  my  part,  and  warned  off  the 
disturbers  of  my  rest  from  the  proximity  of  the  hut.  I 
cannot  tell  whether  they  were  not  such  enthusiastic  believers, 
or  whether  their  animosity  was  excited  by  the  bombastic 
erudition  of  the  Foorians,  but  they  set  to  work  in  earnest, 
and  made  a  clearance  as  effectual  as  I  had  once  seen 
accomplished  by  the  officers  of  the  liberal-tyrannical  go- 
vernment of  Muntass  Bey  in  Suakin.  That  ruler,  when  I 
had  last  been  residing  in  his  town,  had  had  the  unparalleled 
audacity  to  send  his  Khavasses  into  the  neighbouring 
mosque,  and  to  threaten  to  make  a  free  use  of  the  kurbatch 
if  the  prayers  at  night  were  not  promptly  stopped.  He 
sent  a  message  to  the  effect  that  if  the  priests  wanted  to 
pray  they  need  not  shriek,  for  Allah  could  hear  just  as 
well  without  the  outcry.  The  daring  of  such  an  intru- 
sion had  never  been  matched  from  the  day  of  creation 
onwards. 

Idrees,  the  superintendent  of  the  Seriba,  had  eleven  sons 
all  nearly  of  the  same  age,  a  circumstance  readily  explained 
by  his  plurality  of  wives.  For  these  youths,  whom  the 
children  of  other  residents  were  allowed  to  join,  he  had  insti- 
tuted something  like  a  regular  Jewish  school,  and  no  one  wht) 
has  ever  had  the  chance  of  witnessing  the  proceedings  of  such 
an  institution  can  forget  the  sensation  they  left  upon  his  ears. 
Four  times  in  the  course  of  the  four-and-twenty  hours,  at 
intervals  of  four  hours  apart,  does  the  chorus  of  voices  in  these 
Nubian  schools  break  out  in  alternate  humming,  and  buzzing, 
and  shouting,  occasionally  varied  by  the  didactic  hammering 


AN  INCANTATION. 


331 


of  the  master,  by  the  switch  of  his  rod,  and  the  consequent 
screams  of  the  youngsters,  which  were  invariably  followed  by 
a  louder  and  livelier  articulation.  There  is  one  school  tirne 
just  before  sunset  and  another  very  shorlly  after,  so  that 
every  attempt  at  repose  is  certain  to  be  thwarted.  However, 
I  could  always  endure  this  disturbance  with  much  more 
equanimity  than  the  humbug  of  the  prayers ;  for,  however 
erroneous,  according  to  our  ideas,  might  be  the  method  of 
instruction  in  school,  yet  its  object  at  least  was  laudable. 

Occasions  there  were  when  nightly  orgies  were  all  the 
rage,  and  the  idle  pretext  under  which  these  were  maintained 
was  that  the  plague  of  flies  permitted  no  rest.  The  Nubians, 
when  they  had  made  themselves  tipsy  with  their  detestable 
merissa,  had  the  habit  of  finding  an  outlet  for  their  hilarity 
in  banging  on  the  kettle-drums  which  hung  at  the  entrance 
of  the  Seriba.  To.  me  this  abominable  noise  was  a  very  thorn 
in  the  flesh,  and  as  the  huge  drums  were  very  near  my 
quarters,  and  had  broken  my  sleep  often  enough,  I  took  the  . 
liberty  of  sprinkling  the  parchment  with  a  sufficient  quantity 
of  muriatic  acid,  so  that  the  next  time  they  were  drummed 
they  split  across.  Till  some  new  kettle-drums  were  provided 
I  could  slumber  in  peace. 

Another  interruption  to  a  quiet  night  occasionally  arose 
from  the  native  wizards,  who  practised  the  mystery  of  casting 
out  devils.  I  told  them  that  they  must  be  very  indifferent 
charmers  if  they  were  unable  to  expel  the  devils  by  day  as 
well  as  by  night ;  but  they  did  not  appear  to  see  matters  at 
all  in  that  light.  One  occasion  there  was  in  which,  out  of 
pure  compassion,  I  permitted  the  proceedings  to  go  on, 
although  the  noise  was  so  extreme  that  it  would  never  have 
been  tolerated  in  the  daytime.  The  wife  of  the  Dinka  inter- 
preter in  the  Seriba  had  been  long  suffering  under  some 
chronic  disorder,  and  he  had  undertaken  a  long  day's  journey 
to  fetch  a  very  celebrated  conjuror  or  "  Cogyoor  "  to  treat  her 
case.    The  incantation  began  in  a  strain  which  would  try  the 


332 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


very  stoutest  of  nerves :  the  strength  of  the  wizard's  lungs 
was  astounding,  and  could  have  won  a  wager  against  a  steam- 
trumpet.  The  virtue  of  the  proceeding,  however,  centred 
upon  this,  and  ventriloquism  was  called  in  to  assist  in  pro- 
ducing a  dialogue  between  himself  and  the  devil  which  pos- 
sessed the  patient.  I  say  the  "  devil,"  because  the  Biblical 
expression  has  accustomed  us  to  the  phrase,  but  I  dis- 
approve of  the  translation,  and  would  rather  say  the 
"  demon." 

In  the  most  penetrating  tone,  something  like  the  cackling 
of  frightened  hens,  only  a  thousand  times  louder,  the  sorcerer 
began  the  enchantment,  which  consisted  of  several  acts.  The 
first  act  lasted  two  hours  without  intermission,  and  unless  it 
were  heard  it  could  never  be  imagined.  I  was  assured  that 
this  introduction  was  quite  indispensable — as  a  means  of 
intimidating  the  devil  and  compelling  him  to  reply,  it  could 
not  by  any  means  be  omitted  from  the  execution  of  the 
charm.  The  dialogue  which  followed  between  the  wizard 
and  the  devil  was  carried  on  by  the  artifice  of  ventriloquism. 
The  wizard  made  all  kinds  of  inquiries  as  to  the  devil's  name, 
the  period  of  his  possession  of  the  woman,  his  proceedings, 
and  his  whereabouts,  and  then  went  on  to  ask  about  his 
lineage,  his  kinsfolk,  and  acquaintances.  When  for  an  hour 
or  more  the  wizard  had  interrogated  him  till  he  had  got  all 
the  answers  he  wanted,  he  set  to  work  to  provide  the  real 
remedy.  Hurrying  away  into  the  wood,  he  got  some  root  or 
herb,  which  perchance  in  many  cases  contributes  to  a  cure. 
It  all  vividly  reminded  me  of  the  clap-trap  which  advertisers 
and  quacks  are  accustomed  to  employ,  and  how  it  may 
happen  that  they  get  hold  of  some  simple  and  long-known 
material,  which,  under  some  marvellous  name,  they  impose 
as  a  novelty  upon  the  public.  Puffing  is  part  of  their  trade, 
9,nd  without  a  good  deal  of  noise  their  business  will  not  thrive 
in  Europe  any  more  than  in  Africa. 

The  rainy  season  in  due  time  came  to  its  end.    For  seven 


JOINlNa  ABOO  SAMMAT. 


333 


months  and  a  half  I  had  now  been  quietly  quartered  in  the 
Seriba  of  Ghattas ;  but  a  change  was  now  impending,  as  I 
had  resolved  to  quit  my  limited  range  and  to  attach  my  for- 
tunes to  the  care  of  Aboo  Sammat,  whom  T  have  already 
mentioned.  Kepeatedly  he  had  invited  me,  at  his  own  ex- 
pense, to  visit  with  him  the  Niam-niam  lands,  and  I  had 
determined  to  follow  the  advice  of  my  people,  who  knew  his 
character,  and  to  accept  his  offer.  I  discovered  that  he  had 
penetrated  considerably  further  to  the  south  than  any  other, 
and  that  he  had  more  than  once  crossed  that  problematic 
stream  of  the  Monbuttoo  which  was  said  to  flow  quite  inde- 
pendently of  the  Nile  system  towards  the  west.  The  prospect 
of  visiting  the  Niam-niam  would  be  much  more  restricted  if 
I  were  to  remain  attached  to  the  expeditions  of  Ghattas's 
Company,  as  they  had  hitherto  been  confined  to  those  nearest 
and  most  northerly  districts  of  that  country  of  which  the  first 
knowledge  in  Europe  had  been  circulated  by  Piaggia. 

I  could  not  be  otherwise  than  aware  of  the  questionableness 
of  giving  up  my  safe  quarters,  and  exchanging  my  security 
for  the  uncertain  issues  of  a  wandering  life  in  Central  Africa, 
but  irresistible  was  the  inducement  to  enlarge  my  acquaint- 
ance with  the  country  and  to  find  a  wider  field  for  my 
investigations.  The  season  of  the  year  was,  moreover,  quite 
in  favour  of  pushing  farther  on  than  I  had  previously  contem- 
plated. Full  of  expectation,  therefore,  I  turned  my  hopes 
towards  the  south,  in  an  eastern  direction,  towards  that  untra- 
versed  region  between  the  Tondy  and  the  Kohl,  which  already 
is  just  as  truly  subject  to  the  Khartoomers  as  that  in  which 
I  had  been  sojourning. 

In  my  immediate  neighbourhood  I  had  tolerably  well  ex- 
hausted the  treasures  of  the  botanical  world ;  after  the  rains 
were  over  there  was  a  comparative  barrenness  in  the  pro- 
ductions of  nature.  I  made,  indeed,  my  daily  excursions,  but 
they  reached  only  to  places  which  I  had  previously  inspected. 
A  sense  of  irksoraeness  began  to  predominate,  and  every  tree 


334 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


of  any  magnitude,  every  ant-hill  had  become  so  familiar  that 
they  had  entirely  lost  the  charm  of  novelty. 

Aboo  Sammat,  in  the  most  complimentary  way,  had  made 
me  a  variety  of  presents:  by  special  messengers  he  had 
conveyed  to  me  animal  and  vegetable  curiosities  of  many 
sorts.  He  once  sent  me  the  munificent  offering  of  a  flock  of 
five-and-twenty  sheep  ;  and  at  my  own  desire,  but  at  his  cost, 
he  furnished  me  with  a  young  interpreter  to  teach  me  the 
dialect  of  the  Niam-niam.  In  the  middle  of  November,  on 
his  return  from  the  Meshera,  he  would  take  our  Seriba  on 
his  way,  and  I  resolved  to  join  him. 

The  people  at  Ghattas's  quarters  endeavoured,  but  to  no 
purpose,  to  dissuade  me ;  they  represented  in  very  melan- 
choly colours  the  misery  to  which  I  should  inevitably  be 
exposed  in  the  desert  life  of  Aboo  Sammat's  district,  which 
was  every  now  and  then  threatened  with  starvation.  There 
would  be  no  lack  of  monuments  of  antiquity  ("  antigaht," 
as  they  called  them),  or  of  hunting,  or  of  wild  beasts,  but  I 
must  be  prepared  for  perpetual  hunger.  Against  all  this, 
however  true  it  might  be,  I  consoled  myself  with  the  reflec- 
tion that  Aboo  Sammat  would  certainly  manage  to  keep  me 
in  food,  and  the  difference  of  one  more  or  less  in  number 
could  not  be  very  serious. 

Anothei*  important  reason  which  weighed  with  me  was  the 
saving  of  expense  in  the  way  of  travelling.  The  mere  cost 
of  bearers  for  a  journey  through  the  Niam-niam  lands  would 
be  some  thousand  dollars,  which,  according  to  contract,  would 
go  into  the  pocket  of  Ghattas  :  this  would  entirely  be  avoided 
if  Aboo  Sammat  fulfilled  his  promise,  and  there  was  nothing 
to  induce  me  to  suppose  that  he  was  otherwise  than  a  man  of 
his  word. 

Nothing  now  seemed  longer  to  detain  me  in  the  Dyoor  or 
Bongo  countries:  accordingly,  resolved  to  make  a  start,  I 
packed  up  my  goods  without  delay,  and  made  the  Governor 
acquainted  with  my  intention.  A  regular  commotion  followed 


PASSAGE  OF  THE  TONDY. 


335 


in  the  Seriba :  the  clerks  and  notaries  produced  the  contract 
which  had  been  signed  at  Khartoom,  and  attempted  not  only 
to  demonstrate  that  Aboo  Sammat  had  no  right  to  receive 
me,  but  that  Ghattas  had  the  sole  responsibility  of  my  weal 
and  woe,  and  must  answer,  at  the  peril  of  his  head,  for  any 
misfortune  that  might  befall  me  while  I  was  under  the  tute- 
lage of  Aboo  Sammat.  The  distorted  character  of  their 
logic  was  manifest  as  soon  as  the  evidence  was  shown  that 
Ghattas  was  under  obligations  to  me  and  not  I  to  him. 

After  I  had  made  all  my  arrangements  to  store  the 
collections  which  had  accumulated  since  my  last  despatch,  I 
prepared  to  quit  my  bountiful  quarters  and  to  start  by  way 
of  Koolongo  over  the  desolation  of  the  wilderness  towards  the 
south.  The  baggage  which  I  found  it  necessary  to  take,  I 
limited  to  thirty-six  packages.  The  Nubian  servants,  three 
slaves,  and  the  interpreter,  composed  my  own  retinue,  but 
Aboo  Sammat's  entire  caravan,  counting  bearers  and  soldiers, 
consisted  altogether  of  about  250  men.  I  myself  joined  the 
main  body  at  Kulongo,  where  preparations  had  just  been 
completed  for  the  passage  of  the  Tondy,  which  was  then  at 
high  flood. 

The  regular  progress  began  on  the  17th  of  November.  A 
march  of  an  hour  brought  us  to  the  low  plain  of  the  Tondy, 
where  four  Bongo  bearers  were  ready  for  me  with  a  kind  of 
bedstead,  on  which  I  reclined  at  my  ease  as  they  conveyed 
me  upon  their  shoulders  above  the  many  places  which  were 
marshy  or  choked  with  rushes,  till  they  reached  the  ferry 
that  Aboo  Sammat  had  arranged.  This  ferry  consisted  of  a 
great  raft  of  straw,  upon  which  the  packages  were  laid  in 
separate  lots,  and  to  which  most  of  the  bearers  clung  while 
it  was  towed  across  by  a  number  of  swimmers  who  were 
accustomed  to  the  stream.  The  Nubians  floundered  like  fish 
in  the  strong  current,  and  had  some  work  to  do  in  saving 
many  a  "  colli,"  which,  in  the  unsteadiness  of  the  passage, 
was  thrown  out  of  its  equilibrium.    The  river,  by  its  right 


336 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFKICA. 


bank,  was  running  at  the  rate  of  120  feet  a  minute  and  was 
about  200  feet  across.  Nearly  exhausted  as  I  was  by  the 
violence  of  the  stream,  when  I  approached  the  further  side 
I  was  grasped  hand  and  foot  by  a  number  of  the  swimmers, 
who  brought  me  to  land  as  if  I  had  been  a  drowning  man. 

Beyond  the  river  the  land  was  less  affected  by  any  inun- 
dation, and  after  a  few  minutes  we  came  to  a  steep  rocky 
highland  which  bounded  the  way  to  the  south.  Kising  to  an 
elevation  of  little  more  than  200  feet,  we  had  a  fine  open 
view  of  the  depressed  tract  of  land  through  which  the  Tondy 
meanders.  Its  windings  were  marked  by  reedy  banks ;  the 
mid-day  sun  gleamed  upon  the  mirror  of  various  backwaters, 
and  the  distance  revealed  a  series  of  wooded  undulations.  In 
a  thin  dark  thread,  the  caravan  wound  itself  at  my  feet  along 
the  green  landscape,  as  I  have  endeavoured  to  depict  it  in 
the  annexed  illustration.  The  height  on  which  we  stood 
was  graced  by  a  beautiful  grove,  where  I  observed  a  fresh 
characteristic  of  the  region,  viz.,  the  alder-like  Vatica,  a  tree 
of  no  great  size,  but  which  now  appeared  in  detached  clumps. 
In  the  foreground  of  the  picture  are  represented  some  of  the 
most  charming  types  of  vegetation  in  the  bushwood  ;  on  the 
left  is  the  large-leaved  blue-green  Anona  senegalensis ;  on 
the  right,  the  Grewia  mollis,  a  shrub  with  long  twigs  that 
supplies  an  abundance  of  bast  and  string  wherever  it  grows. 
The  little  tree  of  the  pine  genus  is  the  willow-leaved  Boscia, 
which  is  a  constant  inhabitant  of  the  Upper  Nile  district. 

It  was  getting  late  in  the  day  before  we  had  assembled 
our  whole  troop  upon  the  plateau.  Very  short,  consequently, 
was  our  march  before  we  halted  for  the  night.  The  spot 
selected  for  the  purpose  had  formerly  been  a  small  Seriba 
belonging  to  Ghattas ;  but  in  consequence  of  the  Bongo  who 
had  settled  there  having  all  deserted,  and  of  the  diflSculty  of 
maintaining  any  intercourse  with  other  Seribas  during  the 
rainy  season,  it  had  been  abandoned.  It  was  a  district  of 
utter  desolation,  far  away  from  any  other  settlements. 


TTmi  tJbnry 
tMlvt»r»lty  of  mhMt 


DOGGOKOO  RIVEE. 


337 


A  brook,  which  in  July  and  August  becomes  swollen  to  a 
considerable  stream,  flowed  past  our  quarters  for  the  night, 
and  joined  the  Tondy  at  the  distance  of  a  few  leagues.  To 
this  rivulet,  which  has  its  source  in  the  Madi  country,  in 
lat.  5°  10'  N.,  the  Bongo  give  the  name  of  the  Doggoroo, 
whilst  it  is  known  as  the  Lehssy  in  the  districts  which  divide 
the  territories  of  the  Bongo  from  the  Niam-niam.  Up  the 
stream  we  followed  its  course  for  two  hours,  keeping  along 
the  edge  of  a  pleasant  park-like  country,  till  we  arrived  at 
some  thickets,  which  we  had  to  penetrate  in  order  to  reach 
the  banks  of  the  stream.  Sluggish  here  was  the  water  s 
pace ;  its  breadth  was  about  thirty  feet,  and  it  was  sufiSciently 
shallow  to  be  waded  through,  scarcely  rising  above  our  hips ; 
on  our  return  in  the  following  year  the  passage  involved  us 
in  considerable  difficulty.  Beyond  the  Doggoroo  the  ground 
made  a  gradual  but  decided  rise,  and  for  more  than  forty 
miles  the  ascent  was  continuous.  It  was  the  first  elevation 
of  the  ground  of  any  importance  which  I  had  yet  seen  any- 
where south  of  the  Gazelle  ;  for  here  was  a  broad  oifshoot  of 
the  southern  highlands,  which,  according  to  the  statements 
of  the  natives,  serve  as  a  watershed  for  the  coalescing  streams 
of  the  Tondy  and  the  Dyau  (Roah). 

After  we  had  proceeded  in  a  south-easterly  direction  till 
we  had  accomplished  about  a  third  of  our  journey  to  Sabby, 
the  Seriba  of  Mohammed  Aboo  Sammat,  we  had  at  no  great 
distance  the  territory  of  the  Dinka  upon  our  left.  The 
adjacent  clan  is  called  the  Goak,  and  a  large  number  of  the 
Bongo  have  taken  refuge  amongst  them  to  escape  the  aggres- 
sions and  stern  oppression  of  the  Nubians.  The  Dinka,  for 
their  part,  impressed  the  strange  intruders  with  such  awe 
that,  since  Malzac  (the  well-known  French  adventurer,  who 
for  several  years  took  up  his  quarters  on  the  Rohl),  no  one 
has  repeated  the  attempt  to  establish  a  settlement  in  their 
district.  It  is  simply  their  wealth  in  cattle  that  is  a  temp- 
tation to  occasional  raids,  which  are  studiously  accomplished 


338 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


as  far  as  possible  without  bloodslied.  On  the  last  stage 
between  the  Tondy  and  the  Doggoroo  we  repeatedly  came 
across  the  traces  of  elephants;  but  the  trenches  which  had 
been  designed  to  catch  them  had  not  as  yet  been  a  success. 
Elephants  seem  to  prefer  to  make  their  way  along  the  nar- 
row paths  which  have  been  already  trodden  by  the  foot  of 
man  through  the  high  grass,  notwithstanding  that  they  are 
not  sufficiently  broad  to  admit  a  quarter  of  their  huge 
bodies. 

After  the  rains  are  over  and  the  steppe -burning  accom- 
plished, the  landscape  reminded  me  very  much  of  the  late 
autumn-time  of  our  own  latitudes.  Many  trees  were  entirely 
destitute  of  foliage ;  the  ground  beneath  them  being  strewn 
with  yellow  leaves  or  covered  with  pale  sere  grass  as  far  as 
the  conflagration  had  spared  it.  One  charming  tree,  a  kind 
of  Humboldtia,  was  conspicuous  amidst  the  shadowy  groves. 
It  has  seed-vessels  a  foot  long,  the  seed  itself  being  as  large 
as  a  dollar,  whilst  its  magnificent  leaf  is  a  beautiful  orna- 
ment to  the  wood- scenery  wherever  it  abounds.  The  gay 
colours  of  the  young  shoots,  sprouting  directly  from  the  root, 
crimson,  purple,  brown,  or  yellow,  contribute  in  a  large 
degree  to  this  effective  display.  The  foliage  generally  is  so 
light  that  it  was  quite  easy  to  penetrate  into  these  woods, 
which  constantly  and  agreeably  relieved  the  barren  aspect  of 
the  region. 

A  considerable  number  of  antelopes  from  various  quarters 
liad  been  killed  by  the  hour  in  which  we  encamped  for  the 
night  in  a  forest  glade.  These  antelopes  belonged  to  the 
Waterbocks  (A.  elUpsijorymna),  of  which  the  head  is  very 
remarkable,  on  account  of  the  large  excrescences  which 
obtrude  from  the  side  of  the  nostrils,  in  the  same  way  as 
in  the  wild  buifalo.  It  has  a  fine  sweeping  pair  of  horns, 
which  crown,  its  brow.  The  hair  of  this  species  of  Waterbock 
is  extremely  long  and  soft,  and  its  skin  is  a  very  favourite 
decoration  of  the  Niam-niam.    There  is  but  little  difficulty 


THE  WATERBOCK.  339 

in  getting  an  aim  at  this  animal,  as  its  white  haunclies  soon 
betray  it  amid  the  gloom  of  the  forest,  where  it  is  more  fre- 
quently found  either  quite  solitary  or  in  very  small  groups. 
I  very  much  relished  the  tender  flesh  of  the  kids,  although 
it  was  somewhat  deficient  in  fat. 


The  Central  African  Waterbock. 
{Antilope  ellipsiprymna.) 

When  morning  dawned  the  only  remnant  of  our  supper 
was  a  pile  of  crushed  bones ;  for  neither  skin  nor  gristle  had 
been  spared  by  the  greedy  negroes.  The  beast  of  prey  dis- 
dains what  a  voracious  man  will  devour ;  the  beast  rejects 
what  is  tough,  and  gnaws  only  about  the  soft  and  supple 
joints,  whilst  man  in  his  gluttony  roasts  the  very  skin,  splits 
the  bones,  and  swallows  the  marrow.  Splintered  bones,  there- 
fore, here  in  the  lines  of  traffic,  just  as  they  do  in  the  caverns 
of  antiquity,  afford  a  distinctive  evidence  of  the  existence  of 
men,  whilst  bones  that  have  been  gnawed  only  attest  the 
presence  of  lions,  hyaenas,  jackals,  and  the  like. 


340  THE  HEAET  OF  AFllICA. 

Few  there  are  who  have  not  read  of  the  glory  of  the 
southern  heavens ;  rare  is  the  traveller  in  the  tropics  who  has 
not  revelled  in  the  splendid  aspect  of  the  great  arch  above 
when  illumined  by  the  shining  of  the  moon.  After  a  long 
hot  march  it  may  indeed  happen  that  the  traveller  is  far  too 
weary  and  worn-out  to  be  capable  of  appreciating  the  charm 
of  any  such  beauties ;  in  passive  indifference,  stretched  Upon 
his  back,  he  turns  a  listless  eye  unconcerned  upwards  to  the 
sky,  till  sleep  overpowers  him ;  and  thus  unconsciously  he 
loses  the  highest  of  poetic  ecstacies.  Soon  the  heaven 
bedecks  itself  with  countless  numbers  of  fleecy  clouds,  which 
separate  as  flakes  of  melting  ice,  and  stand  apart :  the  deep 
black  firmament  fills  up  the  intervals,  and  gives  a  richer  lustre 
to  the  stars ;  then,  circled  by  a  rosy  halo,  rises  the  gentle 
moon^  and  casts  her  silver  beams  upon  the  latest  straggler. 

Meanwhile,  far  in  the  lonely  wood,  there  has  arisen,  as  it 
were,  the  tumult  of  a  market ;  the  gossip  of  the  chatterers 
is  interrupted  now  and  then  by  the  authoritative  word  of 
command  of  some  superior  officer,  while  many  a  camp-fire 
is  kindled  and  illuminates  the  distant  scene.  To  protect 
himself  against  the  chilly  air  of  night,  each  separate  bearer 
takes  what  pains  he  can,  using  what  ashes  he  can  get  for  his 
covering.  Wreaths  of  smoke  hover  over  the  encampment,  a 
sense  of  burning  oppresses  the  eyes  and  makes  sleep  all  but 
impossible,  and  thus  the  attention  is  ever  and  again  arrested 
by  the  moving  orbs  in  the  heavens  above.  To  the  traveller 
it  well  might  seem  as  if  the  curtain  of  a  theatre  had  been 
raised,  and  revealed  a  picture  of  the  infernal  world  where 
hundreds  of  black  devils  were  roasting  at  as  many  flames. 
Such  were  my  nightly  experiences  as  often  as  I  journeyed 
with  a  large  number  of  bearers. 

About  noon  on  the  third  day,  after  marching  about  sixteen 
leagues  from  Kulongo,  we  arrived  at  Duggoo,  the  chief 
Seriba  of  Shereefee,  who  maintained  some  small  settlements 
in  this  remote  wilderness.    Notwitlistanding  the  almost  un- 


SHEREEFEE. 


341 


limited  scope  with  regard  to  space,  he  was  on  the  bitterest 
terms  of  hostility  with  Aboo  8aramat,  his  neighbour  in  the 
south.  A  regular  mediaeval  feud  had  broken  out  between 
them,  the  nominal  cause  of  the  quarrel  being  that  one  of 
Shereefee's  female  slaves  had  been  maltreated,  and,  having 
taken  refuge  with  Aboo  Sammat,  had  not  been  restored ;  but 
the  interchange  of  cuffs  and  blows  had  been  the  actual 
ground  of  the  discord.  When  two  months  previously  Aboo 
Sammat  was  despatching  his  ivory-produce  of  the  year,  con- 
sisting of  about  300  packages,  to  the  Meshera,  it  was  seized 
by  the  negroes  as  it  was  being  conveyed  across  Shereefee's 
district.  These  negroes  attacked  the  defenceless  bearers 
and  massacred  several  of  them  ;  others  they  wounded  with 
arrows  and  lances,  till  the  whole  caravan  was  overpowered, 
and  every  one  throwing  down  his  valuable  burden  made  a 
precipitate  flight.  The  Khartoom  soldiers  belonging  to 
Aboo  Sammat  looked  quietly  on  throughout  the  fray,  for  no 
attachment  to  their  master  would  have  induced  them  to  fire 
a  shot  against  any  of  their  brethren. 

Aboo  Sammat,  with  all  his  property,  was  now  in  the  desert, 
150  miles  away  from  the  boats.  To  enter  into  action  against 
Shereefee  he  hastened  to  the  west,  and  induced  a  number  of 
the  controllers  of  Seribas  to  repair  to  the  scene  of  violence, 
and  to  insist  upon  judgment  being  passed  at  Khartoom.  But 
to  accomplish  this  purpose  he  had  to  travel  hundreds  of 
miles  in  a  few  weeks,  during  the  rains,  and  before  his  task 
was  completed  the  proper  time  for  shipment  had  elapsed,  the 
high  waters  had  abated,  and  all  his  goods  had  to  remain  at 
the  Meshera  to  await  another  season,  exposed  all  along  to  the 
too  probable  attacks  of  the  hostile  Dinka.  Aboo  Sammat, 
so  far  from  taking  the  law  into  his  own  hands,  had  proceeded 
in  the  most  legitimate  way  to  demand  compensation;  but 
Shereefee,  not  satisfied  with  the  wrong  he  had  already  per- 
petrated, spurred  on  his  negroes  to  make  repeated  incursions 
upon  his  rival's  territory.    Sometimes  he  endeavoured  to 


4 


342  THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 

entice  Aboo  Sainmat's  Bongo  people  to  desert,  and  some- 
times sent  his  own  to  commit  all  manner  of  outrage  and 
depredation.  Many  of  the  poor  natives,  the  shuttlecocks  of 
the  fray,  lost  their  lives  in  the  contention ;  and  I  enriched 
my  collection  of  skulls  by  some  splendid  specimens  which 
I  picked  up  on  my  way.  "  This  was  the  spot,"  said  Aboo  to 
me,  "  where  the  thieves  made  their  attack.  You  have  seen 
for  yourself,  and  should  speak  up  for  me." 

Approaching  the  neighbourhood  of  the  hostile  Seriba  we 
made  a  halt  in  the  open  country,  about  half  a  league  away. 
To  put  a  good  face  on  the  matter,  and  to  make  an  impres- 
sion upon  Shereefee's  people,  everybody  put  on  their  best 
clothes,  and  Aboo  Sammat's  soldiers  came  out  in  all  the  gay 
colours  of  the  fresh  chintz  which  had  just  been  acquired  from 
the  stores  of  the  Meshera.  The  Turkish  cut  of  these  gar- 
ments contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  self-confidence 
of  the  men,  and  the  Kenoosian  could  fairly  pride  himself 
upon  having  a  troop  who,  not  merely  in  externals,  but  in 
general  discipline,  were  far  superior  to  the  disorderly  bands 
which,  in  dirty  rags,  were  quartered  at  the  other  Seribas. 
Every  precaution  was  taken  to  guard  against  a  sudden 
attack,  and  patrols  were  sent  out  to  protect  the  flanks  of  our 
extended  line.  Ambushed  in  the  thickets  some  armed  Bongo 
were  actually  seen,  but  these  outlying  sentinels  as  soon  as 
they  observed  there  was  a  white  man  in  the  caravan,  having 
heard  of  my  presence  in  the  country,  abstained  from  any 
exhibition  of  hostility.  Thus  unmolested  we  drew  close  up 
to  the  Seriba,  and  Mohammed's  party  bivouacked  out  in  the 
open  country.  Meanwhile  I  was  received  in  the  most  friendly 
manner  by  Shereefee's  brother,  who  was  here  in  charge,  and 
there  was  no  disposition  to  act  towards  a  Frank  in  any  way 
that  might  involve  difficulty  at  Khartoom.  But  I  could  not 
help  thinking  how  narrowly  all  my  baggage  might  be 
escaping  attack,  and  what  a  hopeless  attempt  it  might  be  to 
recover  it. 


DUGGOO. 


343 


The  whole  district,  as  I  have  mentioned,  had  been  gra- 
dually rising  in  terraces  all  the  way  from  the  Tondy ;  and 
only  just  before  we  reached  the  Seriba,  which  was  named 
Duggoo,  after  the  superintendent  of  the  place,  had  we 
marched  continuously  up-hill  for  half  a  league ;  no  flowing 
water  had  hitherto  been  observed.  On  the  south-west  and 
south-east  were  visible  the  highlands  in  the  distance,  whilst 
in  front  of  them  were  elevations  of  from  100  to  200  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  adjacent  vale.  One  of  these  elevations 
was  very  close  to  Duggoo  in  the  north-east,  whence  from  a 
bamboo  jungle  there  streamed  in  the  rainy  season  a  brook 
which  fell  into  the  Dyau.  The  recesses  and  caverns  in  the 
red  iron-stone  reminded  me  of  the  great  grotto  at  Kulongo, 
with  its  swarms  of  fluttering  bats  (PhyllorJiinus  caffra)  and 
vast  accumulation  of  guano. 

The  wide  stretch  of  country  between  the  Tondy  and  the 
Dyoor,  extending  some  seventy  miles,  had  but  three  years 
since  been  a  populous  district  with  many  huts ;  now,  how- 
ever, it  had  only  a  few  scattered  habitations  of  the  Bongo, 
which  were  grouped  in  the  vicinity  of  either  Aboo  Sammat's 
or  Shereefee's  Seribas.  Since  the  Bongo  have  been  expelled 
by  the  Dinka,  nothing  but  elephants  and  antelopes  have 
found  their  pasture  in  those  wild  plains,  which  have  once 
been  cultivated.  Occasionally  the  ruins  of  the  burnt  villages 
were  still  extant,  risiug  above  the  rank  grass.  Nothing  sur- 
vived as  direct  evidence  of  the  habitation  of  men ;  what 
scanty  remnants  of  dwelling-places  the  first  conflagration  of 
the  steppes  had  spared,  either  the  ants  or  natural  decay  had 
soon  destroyed.  The  only  remaining  vestiges  of  the  occu- 
pation of  the  land  are  due  to  the  richness  of  vegetatiou,  and 
this  has  left  its  characteristic  traces.  I  could  specify  some 
fifty  or  sixty  plants  which  correspond  so  accurately  with  the 
weeds  of  other  cultivated  countries  that  they  are  significant 
tokens  of  a  former  presence  of  men.  The  preponderating 
Indian  origin  of  all  these  plants  is  very  observable,  and  a 


344 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


better  acquaintance  with  the  geographical  facts  connected 
with  them  would  probably  be  as  trustworthy  an  indication  of 
the  various  migrations  of  an  uncivilized  people  who  have  no 
history  as  either  their  dialect  or  their  physical  development. 

Five  leagues  away  from  Duggoo  we  arrived  at  Dogguddoo, 
the  second  Seriba  of  Shereefee,  where  he  was  then  resident. 
Many  a  slough  and  many  a  marsh  had  we  to  traverse  on  our 
progress,  the  result  of  the  rain  which  had  been  falling  for 
months.  Midway  we  paused  for  a  rest  beside  the  relics  of  a 
great  Bongo  village,  where  stood  the  ruins  of  a  large  fence 
of  the  same  description  as  is  seen  around  the  present  Seribas. 
In  the  very  centre  of  the  village  had  stood,  as  is  commonly 
found,  an  exceedingly  fine  fig-tree  (F.  lutea),  and  there  were 
besides,  a  large  number  of  tombs  constructed  of  blocks  of 
stone  and  ornamented  with  strangely-carved  posts ;  at  some 
little  distance  was  a  number  of  handmills  that  had  been  left 
behind,  destined  for  some  years  to  come  to  be  a  memorial  of 
the  past.  The  spot,  named  after  the  previous  governor,  was 
called  Pogao.  Shortly  afterwards  we  arrived  at  a  charming 
little  brook,  known  as  the  Mattyoo,  which,  under  the  shadow 
of  a  pleasant  copse-wood,  went  babbling  over  its  red  rocky 
bed,  making  little  cascades  and  rapids  as  it  streamed  along. 

In  consequence  of  the  repeated  burnings  of  the  steppes, 
well-nigh  all  vegetation  was  now  blighted  and  impoverished  : 
in  particular  the  higher  districts  presented  an  appearance  of 
wretched  desolation.  Kepeatedly,  in  the  winter  landscape 
of  the  tropics,  there  are  seen  trees  standing  in  full  foliage  in 
the  very  midst  of  their  dismantled  neighbours  ;  and  the  loss 
of  leaf  would  seem  to  be  hardly  so  much  an  unconditional 
consequence  of  the  time  of  year  as  a  collateral  effect  of 
locality  or  condition  of  the  soil. 

After  having  for  months  together  explored  every  thicket, 
and  day  after  day  penetrated  into  the  high  grass  on  the 
river-banks,  I  could  not  suppress  my  astonishmant  at  the 
absence  of  every  description  of  snakes.    The  Khartoomers 


STEPPE-BURNINO. 


345 


suggest  an  explanation  of  this  circumstance  which  I  am  not 
disinclined  to  accept;  they  conjecture  that  in  this  stony 
region  there  is  a  deficiency  of  that  rich  black  soil  which 
splits  like  a  glacier  in  the  dry  season,  and  makes  riding  in 
the  North-Eastern  Soudan  a  very  dangerous  proceeding; 
and,  consequently,  that  there  is  neither  a  way  for  snakes 
to  escape  from  the  fires  of  the  blazing  steppes,  nor  any 
of  those  lurking-places  which  are  indispensable  for  their 
resort. 

Incalculable  in  its  effect  upon  the  vegetation  of  Central 
Africa  must  be  the  influence  of  the  annual  steppe-burning, 
which  is  favoured  by  the  dryness  of  the  seasons.  The  ordinary 
soil  becomes  replaced  by  charcoal  and  ashe§,  which  the  rain, 
when  it  returns,  as  well  as  the  wind,  sweeps  right  away  into 
the  valleys.  The  rock  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  very  friable 
and  weather-worn  ironstone,  and  upon  this  alone  has  every- 
thing that  grows  to  make  good  its  footing.  The  distinction, 
therefore,  as  might  be  imagined,  is  very  marked  between 
vegetation  under  such  conditions,  and  vegetation  as  it  dis- 
plays itself  by  the  banks  of  rivers,  where  the  abundant  grass 
resists  the  progress  of  the  fire,  and  where,  moreover,  a  rich 
mould  is  formed  by  the  decay  of  withered  leaves.  But  even 
more  than  the  impregnation  of  the  soil  with  alkalies,  does 
the  violence  of  flames  act  upon  the  configuration  of  plants  in 
general.  Trees  with  immense  stems,  taking  fire  at  the  parts 
where  they  are  lifeless  through  age,  will  die  entirely ;  and, 
where  the  grass  is  exceptionally  heavy,  the  fresh  after-growth 
will  perish  at  the  roots,  or  in  other  places  will  be  either 
crippled  or  stunted.  Hence  arises  the  want  of  those  richly- 
foliaged  and  erect-stemmed  specimens  which  are  the  pride  of 
our  own  forests  ;  hence  the  scarcity  of  trees,  which  are  either 
old  or  well  developed  ;  and  hence,  too,  the  abnormal  irregu- 
larity of  form  which  is  witnessed  at  the  base  of  so  many  a 
stem  and  at  the  projection  of  so  many  a  shoot. 

Flowing  without  intermission  all  through  the  year,  close 


346 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


by  Dugguddoo,  there  is  a  brook  which  the  Bongo  have 
named  the  Tomburoo.  Its  water  hurries  on  at  the  rate  of 
170  feet  per  minute,  its  depth  hardly  ever  exceeds  three 
feet,  while  its  breadth  varies  from  20  feet  to  50.  Its  banks, 
about  four  feet  high,  were  bounded  by  land  subject  to  inun- 
dations corresponding  to  the  measurement  of  the  stream.  At 
a  league's  distance  to  the  east,  the  general  elevation  of  the 
soil  began  afresh.  The  environs  of  the  Seriba  of  Shereefee 
were  only  scantily  cultivated,  as  the  Nubians  and  the  Bongo 
lived  by  preference  on  the  produce  of  the  plundering 
forages  which  they  were  accustomed  to  make  amongst  the 
adjacent  Dinka  tribes,  the  Ayell  and  the  Faryahl,  towards 
the  north. 

Exposing  itself  far  and  wide,  there  was  the  naked  rock, 
the  barrenness  of  which  was  only  interrupted  at  intervals  by 
a  scanty  covering  of  human  bones  !  Carried  off  in  groups, 
the  captured  slaves  here  succumbed  to  the  overwrought 
exertions  of  their  march.  At  times  they  died  literally  of 
starvation,  a§  often  there  was  no  corn  to  be  had  in  the 
barren  land.  The  overland  dealers  in  slaves  make  their 
purchases  here  at  the  most  advantageous  prices.  In  these 
eastern  Seribas,  as  the  result  of  the  perpetual  raids  upon  the 
Dinka,  there  is  always  a  superabundance  of  the  living  black 
merchandise  on  hand,  but  very  rarely  is  there  an  adequate 
supply  of  food  for  their  maintenance.  The  traders  proceed 
from  Seriba  to  Seriba  with  their  gangs,  which  they  maintain 
on  whatever  provisions  they  can  get  on  the  way.  Where 
destitution  is  an  ordinary  phase  of  things,  it  is  self-evident 
that  the  traffickers,  having  no  resources  to  support  a  length- 
ened journey,  must,  day  after  day,  suffer  considerable  loss, 
and  it  is  no  unwonted  thing  for  their  gangs  to  melt  away  by 
a  dozen  at  a  time.  Burnt  bones  of  men  and  charred  pali- 
sades of  huts  are  too  true  an  evidence  of  the  halting-places 
of  Mohammedan!^,  and,  day  by  day,  more  and  more  was 
my  imagination  shocked  by  these  horrid  spectacles.  In 


LAND-SNAILS.  347 

the  very  S'eriba  there  was  even  awaiting  me  afresh  the 
miserable  sight,  to  which  no  force  of  habit  could  accustom 
me,  of  a  number  of  helpless  children,  perfect  little  pictures 
of  distress  and  wretchedness,  either  orphans  or  deserted  by 
their  mothers,  and  who  dragged  on  a  pitiable  existence, 
half-starved,  burnt  by  falling  into  the  fire  in  their  sleep,  or 
covered  with  loathsome  sores. 

Turning  short  off,  almost  at  a  right  angle  to  our  previous 
direction,  our  way  beyond  Duggoroo,  after  seven  leagues, 
over  a  country  well-wooded  and  rich  in  game,  led  us  to  the 
borders  of  Aboo  Sammat's  territory.  Once  again  the  land 
began  to  rise,  and  appeared  to  be  all  but  barren  in  water- 
courses of  any  Jiind.  As  we  went  along  I  picked  up,  in  a 
state  of  perfect  preservation,  several  of  the  bleached  skulls 
of  some  of  Aboo  Sammat's  bearers,  who,  wounded  in  the 
murderous  attack  by  Shereefee's  people,  had  never  been  able 
to  regain  their  homes.  In  a  bag,  which  one  of  my  attendants 
constantly  carried,  I  had  a  collection  made  of  a  number  of 
the  great  land-snails  which,  after  the  termifiation  of  the 
rains,  abounded  in  this  region.  The  two  kinds  which 
appeared  most  common  were  Limnicolaria  nilotica  and 
L.flammea;  of  these,  the  former  is  rather  more  than  four 
inches  in  length,  the  latter  rather  more  than  three.  They 
invade  the  bushes  and  shrubs,  and  have  a  great  partiality 
for  the  tender  leaves  of  the  numerous  varieties  of  wild  vine. 
They  serve  as  food  for  a  number  of  birds,  the  Ce7itroj>us 
monachuSy  the  cuckoo  of  the  climate,  in  particular  having  a 
keen  relish  for  them.  Their  shells  are  as  thin  as  paper, 
a  circumstance  which,  like  the  brittleness  in  the  egg-shells  of 
hens,  testifies  to  the  deficiency  of  chalk  in  the  soil.  I  was  in 
need  of  soap,  and  the  chief  object  which  I  had  in  taking  the 
trouble  to  collect  these  shells  was  to  obtain  what  cretaceous 
matter  I  could,  to  enable  me  to  make  a  supply,  no  other 
method  of  getting  it  occurring  to  my  miiid.  At  night  we 
rested  at  a  poor  Seriba  called  Matwoly,  where  we  were 


348  *      THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

received  in  some  dilapidated  huts,  as  the  place,  together  with 
all  its  Bongo  adjuncts,  for  greater  security  against  the  attacks 
of  Shereefee,  was  about  to  be  abandoned. 

The  wearisome  monotony  of  the  woods,  now  generally 
stripped  of  their  foliage,  was  enlivened  by  the  fresh  green  of 
the  Combretum,  which  here  long  anticipates  every  other  tree 
in  putting  forth  its  tender  buds.  Gaily  it  stands  apart  from 
the  uniform  grey  and  brown  of  the  surrounding  forest, 
thrown  into  yet  higher  relief  by  the  yellow  of  the  mass  of 
withered  grass  below,  and  showing  itself  brightly  from  the 
half-shaded  gloom  of  the  wood  beyond. 

Although  I  had  now  advanced  an  entire  degree  nearer  to 
the  Equator,  being  now  in  a  latitude  of  Q°  20'  N.,  I  still 
found  that  the  landscape  around  had  charms  to  offer  which 
were  not  inferior  to  the  winter  beauties  of  the  distant  north. 
In  the  early  morning  I  delighted  to  see  the  rimy  dew  that 
had  fallen  on  the  sprouting  grass,  and  which  frequently 
remained  as  late  as  nine  o'clock ;  over  the  feathery  Penni- 
setum  and  the  Agrostidese  it  fell  like  a  white  veil,  and  the 
bright  drops  sparkled  like  diamonds  in  the  sunshine.  The 
slender  gossamer,  moreover,  which  stretched  itself  over  the 
deeps  and  shallows  of  the  soil,  and  even  over  the  footprints 
in  the  ground,  appeared  to  operate  as  a  conductor  of  the  dew, 
which  congealed  till  it  was  like  a  film  of  ice  which  crackles 
beneath  the  tread  of  a  traveller  in  the  autumn. 

Distant  four  and  a  half  leagues  to  the  south  lay  Aboo 
Sammat's  head  Seriba,  known  as  Sabby,  the  name  of  its 
Bongo  chief.  Half-way  upon  our  march  we  crossed  a  con- 
siderable stream,  which  was  called  the  Koddy.  As  we  forded 
its  breadth  of  twenty  feet,  we  found  the  water  rising  above 
our  hips.  Here  again  the  candelabra-euphorbia  seemed  to 
be  abundant,  after  having  never  been  seen  since  I  left  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  river  Dyoor.  An  essential  feature  of 
the  district  between  the  Dyoor  and  the  Kohl  is  contributed 
by  the  small  mushroom-shaped  ant-hills  which,  found  as  they 


GREAT  ANT-HILLS. 


349 


are  in  many  a  part  of  Tropical  Africa,  here  cover  the  stony 
surface  with  their  peculiar  shapes.  Formed  exactly  like  the 
common  mushroom,  the  separate  erections  of  the  Termes 
mordax  are  grouped  in  little  colonies.  The  main  difference 
between  the  tenements  of  these  ants  and  those  which  con- 
struct  conical  domes  as  tall  as  a  man,  consists  in  this,  that 
they  have  a  definite  altitude,  which  rarely  exceeds  thirty 
inches,  and  immediately  that  there  is  no  further  space  they 
raise  new  turrets  and  form  fresh  colonies.  The  materials, 
too,  of  which  this  species  of  Termes  constructs  its  edifice  is 
neither  grey  nor  of  a  ferruginous  red,  but  is  simply  the  allu- 
vial clay  of  the  place :  it  is  so  closely  cemented  together, 


Mushroom-shaped  white-ant  hills. 

that  it  defies  the  most  violent  kicking  to  displace  it,  and  is 
hardly  less  solid  than  brickwork.  The  natives  are  very  glad 
to  employ  it  for  the  construction  of  their  huts  ;  they  break  it 
into  fragments  with  their  clubs,  and  moisten  it  till  its  sub- 
stance yields.    By  the  Bongo  it  is  called  Kiddillikoo. 

The  red  ferruginous  clay  is  the  only  material  out  of  which 
the  great  ants  (Termes  helUcosus)  construct  their  buildings. 
These  are  seldom  found  elsewhere  than  in  a  wood,  where  the 
pointed  shapes  are  never  seen.  The  neighbourhood  of  Sabby 
especially  abounded  in  these  monuments  of  animal  labour, 
and  not  a  few  of  them  w^ere  fifteen  feet  in  height.  In  alti- 
tude greater  than  in  breadth,  they  reared  themselves  like  a 


350 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFKICA, 


large  cupola  surrounded  by  countless  pillars  and  projecting 
towers.  At  the  first  commencement  of  the  building  it 
embraces  only  some  isolated*  domes,  which  gradually  are 
combined  into  one  single  cluster,  whilst  the  ramifications  of 
the  interior  have  entirely  to  be  reconstructed.  When  we 
reflect  that  the  dimensions  of  the  bodies  of  these  toiling  ants 
(the  female  neuters)  are  not  one  thousandth  part  so  great  as 
the  structure  that  they  upheave,  we  cannot  refrain  from  com- 
paring their  edifices  with  the  most  extensive  cities  which 
human  hands  have  reared.  During  my  previous  journey,  I 
had  found  several  opportunities  of  investigating  the  secret 
habits  of  these  wondrous  creatures.  The  life  of  the  traveller 
in  Africa  is  one  continual  conflict  against  their  aggressions. 
Once  at  the  missionary  station  in  Gallabat,  for  seven  days 
did  the  people  work  away  with  crowbars  to  remove  one  of 
these  erections,  which  had  been  accumulated  in  the  middle 
of  the  courtyard,  and  which  was  not  only  an  impediment  in 
the  way,  but  was  a  nuisance  to  the  adjacent  huts.  At  length 
they  penetrated  to  the  royal  chamber,  and  dragged  forth  the 
queen  to  the  daylight,  from  which  she  had  carefully  excluded 
her  subjects. 

All  the  ant-hills  of  which  I  was  able  to  make  a  survey 
were  constructed  upon  the  double- chamber  system,  the  maze 
of  cells  being  divided  apparently  into  two  separate  storeys. 
Adequately  to  describe  the  marvellous  interior  of  one  of 
these  haunts  of  the  community  would  require  a  volume  of 
itself.  No  labyrinth  of  coral  could  be  more  intricate;  its 
walls  are  curiously  cemented  together,  its  chambers  are  most 
carefully  arranged  and  most  amply  stored  with  vegetable 
produce,  and  there  are  magazines  which  teem  with  cakes 
and  loaves.  A  regular  series  of  bridges  conducts  from  place 
to  place,  and  many  a  crossway  traverses  the  pile.  To  detail 
the  wonders  of  these  erections  would  tax  the  patience  of  the 
reader,  and  the  study  of  a  life-time  would  not  exhaust  the 
marvellous  perfection  of  the  organization  which  they  present. 


AB(JO  SAMMAT'S  HEAD  SEUIBA. 


351 


As  might  be  conjectured,  there  is  no  want  amongst  these 
woods  of  ant-hills  such  as  these,  which  have  ceased  to  be 
occupied,  and  which  consequently  have  been  adopted  as 
lurking-places  by  various  kinds  of  animals  that  shun  the 
light  and  lead  a  troglodite  existence.  Here  skulks  the  aard- 
vark  or  earth-pig  (Oryderopus)  ;  here  gropes  .the  African 
armadillo  (Manis)  ;  hither  resort  wild  boars  of  many  a  breed ; 
here  may  be  tracked  the  porcupines,  the  honey-weasel,  or 
ratel;  here  go  the  zebra-ichneumons  and  the  rank  civet- 
cats  ;  whilst  here,  perchance,  may  be  found  what  in  this  land 
is  rare,  an  occasional  hysena. 

Thus,  after  seven  days'  journeying  over  a  country  all  but 
uninhabited,  on  the  23rd  of  November  I  found  myself  at  the 
head  Seriba  of  my  friend  and  protector,  who  received  me  with 
true  Oriental  hospitality.  First  of  all,  he  had  newly-erected 
for  my  use  three  pleasant  huts,  enclosed  in  their  own  fence ; 
his  thoughtfulness  had  gone  so  far  that  he  had  provided  me 
with  several  chairs  and  tables;  he  had  sent  to  a  Seriba, 
eight  days'  journey  distant,  to  obtain  some  cows,  that  I  might 
enjoy  new  milk  every  day ;  and,  in  short,  he  had  taken  the 
utmost  pains  to  insure  me  the  best  and  amplest  provisions 
that  the  locality  could  supply.  My  attendants,  too,  who, 
together  with  their  slaves,  made  up  a  party  of  thirteen,  were 
entertained  as  freely  as  myself:  everything  contributed  to 
keep  them  in  good  mood,  and  they  were  delighted  jointly 
and  severally  to  throw  in  their  lot  with  mine. 

The  natives,  when  they  saw  not  only  their  own  superior, 
but  the  governors  of  other  Seribas,  treat  me  with  such  con- 
sideration, providing  me  with  a  palanquin  for  every  brook, 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  was  a  magnate,  and  said  to 
each  other,  "  This  white  man  is  a  lord  over  all  the  Turks  " — 
Turks  being  the  name  by  which  the  Nubians  here  wish  to  be 
known,  although  before  a  genuine  Osmanli  they  would  not 
have  ventured  to  take  such  a  title.  As  Aboo  Sammat 
used  jocosely  to  remark,  they  were  accustomed  at  home  to 

Vol.  I.— 25 


352 


THE  HEART  OF  AFKIOA. 


carry  mud,  but  here  they  carried  a  gun  instead.  It  was  a 
matter  of  congratulation  to  myself  that  the  people  already 
had  arrived  at  some  apprehension  of  the  superiority  of  an 
European.  It  set  me  at  my  ease  to  observe  that  I  had 
nothing  to  fear  as  to  being  mistaken  by  the  natives  for  one 
of  the  same,  stock  as  the  Nubian  menials.  Equally  advan- 
tageous to  me  was  it  that  the  same  impression  prevailed 
amongst  the  Niam-niam  and  the  distant  Monbuttoo,  to  whose 
territories  I  was  approaching,  and  accordingly  I  entered 
upon  my  wanderings  under  what  must  be  considered  favour- 
able auspices. 

Situated  in  a  depression  between  undulating  hills  which 
stretch  from  south-west  to  north-east,  the  settlement  of  Aboo 
Sammat  was  surrounded  by  numerous  Bongo  villages  and 
fields.  Here  he  centred  an  authority  over  his  Bongo  and 
Mittoo  territories  which  stretched  away  for  no  less  tlian  sixty 
miles.  The  residence  of  Aboo  himself  was  about  a  league 
away,  where  he  kept  his  harem  in  retirement,  his  elder 
brother  having  the  charge  of  the  principal  Seriba.  After  I 
had  settled  myself  as  conveniently  as  I  could,  I  began  afresh 
my  accustomed  rambles,  so  that,  in  the  same  way  as  I  had 
done  in  Ghatta's  Seriba,  I  might  familiarise  myself  with  all 
the  environs. 

At  this  period,  when  vegetation  was  at  a  stand-still,  the 
flora  presented  little  novelty,  and  whatever  I  found  corres- 
ponded very  much  with  what  I  had  already  seen  in  the 
district  between  the  Tondy  and  the  Dyoor.  The  woody 
places  around  Sabby  were  generally  somewhat  thicker ;  there 
was  neither  the  same  expanse  of  low  steppe-country,  nor  the 
same  frequent  interruption  of  woods  by  grassy  plains.  Cor- 
responding to  this  density  of  growth  of  the  forests  there  was 
a  greater  variety  in  the  fauna. 

Meanwhile,  amidst  my  investigations,  I  did  not  lose  sight  of 
my  projected  journey  to  the  Niam-niam,  and  continually  made 
what  preparation  I  could.    I  criticised  very  diligently  the 


ARRIVAL  IN  SABBY. 


353 


muscles  and  measurements  of  the  people,  and  very  materi- 
ally enlarged  my  vocabulary.  Although  I  was  only  half-way 
towards  the  country  of  the  Niam-niam,  I  found  myself  brought 
into  connection  with  a  considerably  large  number  of  them,  and 
subsequently  I  was  enabled  in  a  degree  to  master  their  dialect. 
The  report  of  the  feud  between  Mohammed  Aboo  Sammat 
and  Shereefee  had  extended  to  Mohammed's  outlying  Seriba 
in  the  Niam-niam  country,  and  had  grown  into  a  rumour  that 
all  his  people  had  been  exterminated  by  Shereefee's  agents. 
For  the  purpose  of  obtaining  more  reliable  information  the 
manager  of  the  Seriba,  ninety  miles  away,  had  sent  ten 
young  men  to  Sabby,  and  their  strange  appearance  very  much 
surprised  me.  Everything  which  I  had  hitherto  seen  of  the 
people  served  to  strengthen  my  conviction  that  they  were 
marked  off  from  the  other  population  of  Africa  by  a  distinct 
nationality  of  their  own.  Even  the  Bongo  seemed  here  to 
arouse  my  interest  more  than  at  Ghattas's  Seriba,  where,  on 
account  of  their  longer  period  of  subjection,  they  had  gra- 
dually lost  very  many  habits  and  peculiarities  of  their  race. 
I  spent  accordingly  a  good  deal  of  my  leisure  in  making 
sketches  of  their  dwellings  and  their  furniture,  and  in  my 
numerous  excursions  round  the  villages,  I  persisted  in  inves- 
tigating everything,  however  immaterial  it  might  seem,  as 
though  I  were  examining  the  vestiges  of  the  prehistoric  life 
of  a  palisaded  colony. 

The  three  slaves  who  accompanied  me  were  now  indis- 
pensable as  interpreters.  Apart  from  them  I  could  have 
prevailed  very  little  in  overcoming  the  shyness  and  mistrust 
towards  strangers  which  the  natives  continually  exhibited : 
an  exterior  survey  did  not  satisfy  me,  and  I  persevered  till  I 
gained  admittance  to  the  inside  of  several  of  the  huts,  so  that 
I  could  institute  a  regular  domestic  investigation.  Every 
corner  was  explored,  and  by  this  means  many  a  strange 
implement  was  brought  to  light,  and  many  an  unexpected 
discovery  revealed. 


354 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


The  granaries  of  the  Bongo  were  now  quite  full,  as  the 
harvest  was  just  over ;  all  was  consequently  mirth  and  riot 
in  the  district,  and  many  a  night's  rest  did  I  find  disturbed 
by  the  noisy  orgies  which  re-echoed  from  the  shadowy  woods. 
At  full  blast  for  hours  together  were  the  long  wooden 
trumpets,  the  loud  signal-horns,  the  huge  trombones,  and 
those  immense  drums  for  the  construction  of  which  the 
strongest  timber  has  been  selected  from  the  forests.  The 
powers  of  shrieking  were  put  forth  to  the  uttermost.  Like 
the  rolling  of  the  breakers  of  an  angry  sea,  the  noise  rose 
and  fell :  alternate  screechings  and  bowlings  reached  my 
ears,  and  hundreds  of  men  and  women  seemed  to  be  trying 
wliich  could  scream  the  loudest.  Incapable  of  closing  an 
eye  for  sleep  while  such  infernal  outcry  was  around,  I  went 
several  times  to  inspect  the  frantic  scene  of  merriment. 
Nights  when  the  moon  was  bright  were  those  most  frequently 
selected  for  the  boisterous  revelry ;  the  excuse  alleged  being 
that  the  mosquitoes  would  not  let  them  rest,  and  therefore  it 
was  necessary  to  dance  ;  but  in  truth,  there  was  no  nuisance 
of  flies  here  worth  consideration :  I  was  not  annoyed  to  any- 
thing like  the  same  extent  as  upon  my  backward  journey  on 
the  White  Nile. 

The  following  may  be  submitted  as  something  like  an 
ordinary  programme  of  these  soirees  musicales.  Slowly  and 
mournfully  some  decrepit  old  man,  or  toothless  old  woman, 
begins  with  broken  voice  to  babble  out  a  doleful  recitative  ; 
ere  long  first  one  and  then  another  will  put  in  an  appearance 
from  the  surrounding  huts,  and  point  with  the  forefinger  at 
the  original  performer,  as  if  to  say  that  this  is  all  his  fault, 
when  suddenly,  all  together,  they  burst  forth  in  .universal 
chorus,  taking  up  the  measure,  which  they  work  into  a 
wondrous  fugue.  At  a  given  signal  the  voices  rise  in  a 
piercing  shriek,  and  then  ensues  a  series  of  incredible  contor- 
tions ;  they  jump,  they  dance,  and  roll  themselves  about  as 
though  they  had  bodies  of  indian -rubber ;  they  swing  them- 


OKGIES  OF  THE  NIGHT. 


355 


selves  as  if  they  were  propelled  with  the  regularity  of 
machines ;  it  would  almost  seem  as  if  their  energy  were 
inexhaustible,  and  as  if  they  would  blow  their  trumpets  till 
their  lungs  gave  way,  and  hammer  at  their  drums  till  their 
fists  were  paralyzed.  All  at  once  everything  is  hushed; 
simultaneously  they  make  a  pause ;  but  it  is  only  to  fetch 
their  breath  and  recover  their  strength,  and  onc§  more  the 
tumult  breaks  out  intense  as  ever.  The  license  of  their 
revelry  is  of  so  gross  a  character  that  the  representation  of 
one  of  my  interpreters  must  needs  be  suppressed.  It  made 
a  common  market-woman  droop  her  eyes  and  called  up  a 
blush  even  to  a  poor  sapper's  cheek.  Many  of  the  people 
had  iron  rings  about  their  ankles  with  balls  attached,  and 
these  they  rattled  with  such  violence  that  their  feet  were 
bathed  with  blood. 

Go  where  I  might,  I  found  nothing  but  lamentation  over 
the  impoverishment  and  desolation  of  the  land,  yet  those  who 
complained  were  themselves  responsible  for  its  comfortless 
aspect.  Whilst,  through  the  migration  of  the  people,  the 
country  towards  the  north  during  the  last  three  years  had 
been  changed  into  a  wilderness,  the  Bongo,  who  clung  to  their 
homes  and  remained  on  their  settlements,  had  not  only  lost 
their  former  wealth  in  sheep,  goats,  and  poultry,  but  had 
even  been  too  much  driven  to  extremities  to  continue  their 
cultivation  of  corn,  and  were  sufferers  from  what  was  little 
short  of  famine.  The  Bongo  asserted  that  in  the  first  year 
that  the  Khartoomers  committed  their  depredations  amongst 
them,  they  were  so  terrified  lest  all  their  sheep,  and  goats, 
and  poultry  should  be  carried  off,  that,  without  delay,  they 
had  them  all  killed,  cooked,  and  eaten.  Eye-witnesses  were 
not  wanting  who  told  me  what  had  been  the  astonishing- 
quantities  of  poultry  that  once  had  teemed  in  every  village  ; 
but  when  there  ceased  to  be  any  security  for  any  one  to 
retain  what  he  had,  of  course  there  ceased  to  be  any  interest 
in  making  a  store.    If  the  harvest  were  prolific  so  that  the 


356 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


granaries  were  full,  the  settlers  would  revel  in  indulgencp 
as  long  as  their  resources  held  out ;  but  for  the  greater 
portion  of  the  year  they  had  to  depend  upon  the  produce  of 
the  woods  and  upon  the  proceeds  of  the  chase,  which  had 
often  no  better  game  to  yield  than  cats,  lizards,  and  field- 
rats.  Not  that  there  was  any  actual  fear  of  starvation, 
because  the  supply  of  edible  tubers  and  of  wild  fruits  from 
the  extensive  woods  was  inexhaustible  and  not  ill-adapted  to 
a  negro's  digestion,  and  because  there  was  an  abundance  of 
the  seed  of  wild  grasses  to  be  collected,  which  replaced  the 
scarcity  of  corn. 

In  productiveness  the  land  around  Sabby  was  not  inferior 
to  the  environs  of  Ghattas's  Seriba.  The  ears  of  sorghum 
here,  as  frequently  as  there,  reached  to  a  weight  of  six  pounds ; 
but  at  the  same  time  the  level  tracts  under  cultivation  were 
far  less  extensive,  and  in  all  the  rocky  places  could  only 
produce  a  smaller  yield.  The  natives,  however,  never 
ventured  to  bring  any  of  their  grain  to  market,  as  I  had  been 
accustomed  to  see  them:  whatever  anyone  possessed,  he 
cautiously  kept  out  of  the  sight  of  the  stranger.  From 
all  regular  and  systematic  agriculture,  the  natives  were  as  a 
rule  debarred,  because  in  the  course  of  the  year  nearly  every 
able-bodied  man  was  compelled  to  go  and  do  duty  as  a 
bearer,  and  consequently  for  months  together  was  a  stranger 
to  his  homestead,  whilst  he  either  plodded  backwards  and 
forwards  to  the  Meshera,  or  was  engaged  upon  the  Niam-niam 
expeditions.  Of  copper,  beads,  and  knick-knacks  of  every 
sort  they  managed  to  increase  their  store,  but  in  agriculture 
they  decidedly  were  retrograding.  It  was  with  them  pre- 
cisely as  with  their  oppressors  from  afar :  just  as  in  Nubia, 
there  was' a  destiny  of  evil  being  fulfilled  upon  the  land,  so 
here  was  the  spectacle  of  a  region  degenerating  from  prospe- 
rity into  neglect  and  woe. 

Kepeatedly  in  the  evening  hours  I  watched  the  ghost-like 
fluttering  of  a  long  feathered  goat-sucker  of  the  species 


GOAT-SUCKERS. 


367 


Gosmetornis  S]pehii  Sclater,  observed  by  Speke  *  in  Uganda, 
and  which  was  to  be  recognized  by  the  astonishing  elongation 
of  the  seventh  and  eighth  wing-quills,  the  latter  of  which 
reaches  over  twenty  inches  in  length.  There  was  a  second 
•  species  of  this  genus,  of  which  the  male  had  the  same 
kind  of  prolonged  shaft-feathers  expanded  at  the  end  and 
fluttering  in  the  air  like  a  peacock's  tail.  This  was  the 
Macrodypterix  longipennis,  a  remarkable  bird  which  the 
Arabs  call  the  "  father  of  four  wings,"  because,  as  it  chases 
the  mice,  it  looks  as  though  it  had  a  couple  of  satellites 
in  attendance.  Both  these  make  their  earliest  appearance 
about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  sunset  and  as  the  twilight 
passes  rapidly  into  thorough  night ;  I  had,  therefore,  only 
scanty  opportunities  of  sending  what  were  at  best  only  stray 
shots  to  bring  them  down.  For  the  purpose  of  catching 
insects  they  generally  wheeled  in  circles  at  no  great 
distance  from  the  ground,  but  as  the  range  of  their  flight 
was  very  circumscribed  and  its  rapidity  extremely  great,  it 
was  somewhat  difficult  to  get  a  good  aim.  However,  as 
the  practice  was  repeated  daily,  I  succeeded  in  securing  a 
considerable  number  of  Speke's  interesting  Gosmetornis.  I 
should  mention  that  while  I  had  been  in  Ghattas's  Seriba. 
sport  of  this  kind  had  very  frequently  been  an  evening 
recreation.  The  antipathy  of  this  aeronaut  of  the  dusky 
Evening  to  the  clear  light  of  day,  seemed  very  remarkable : 
it  kept  itself  to  the  seclusion  of  the  low  bush  woods,  and  when 
roused  up  would  disappear  again  at  the  first  ray  of  light ; 
often  it  would  settle  itself  on  the  ground  in  a  pile  of  leaves 
to  which  its  own  hue  corresponded,  and  it  might  then  almost 
be  trodden  upon  before  it  could  be  stirred  into  flight. 

During  the  incessant  excursions  which  I  kept  making 
round  Sabby  I  was  able  to  discriminate  not  less  than  twelve 
distinct  species  of  antelopes,  of  wlych  I  was  successful 


*  Vide  Speke's  Journal,  p.  462. 


358 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


in  shooting  several.  Frequently  met  with  here  is  the 
antelope  (A.  oreas)  which  is  known  as  the  Elend.  During 
the  rainy  months  it  gathers  in  little  groups  of  about  half-a- 
dozen  in  the  drier  districts  on  the  heights,  but  through  the 
winter  it  is,  like  all  its  kindred,  confined  to  the  levels  by  the  * 
river-sides.  Upon  the  steppes  through  which  flow  the  brooklets 
in  the  proximity  of  Sabby  the  leucotis  antelope  is  the  most 
common  of  all  game,  and  many  is  the  herd  I  saw  which  might 
be  reckoned  at  a  hundred  heads.  Perhaps  nowhere  in  the 
whole  of  North-east  Africa  would  any  one  have  the  chance  of 
seeing  such  numerous  herds  of  antelopes  collected  together  as 
travellers  in  the  south  are  accustomed  to  depict.  Assisted  by 
a  whole  clan  of  Kaffirs,  the  Boers  on  the  24th  of  August,  1860, 
had  a  hattue  in  honour  of  the  Duke  of  Edinburgh,  of  which  the 
result  was  that  between  20,000  and  30,000  antelopes  are  said 
to  have  been  enclosed.  Of  the  more  circumscribed  district 
of  the  Nile  the  parts  that  are  most  prolific  in  game  are  on 
the  north-west  declivity  of  the  Abyssinian  highlands,  on  the 
Tacazze  or  Seteet,  in  the  province  of  Taka :  there  it  is  not 
an  .unknown  circumstance  for  herds  to  be  found  which  exceed 
a  total  of  400  head,  but  they  do  not  correspond  in  the 
remotest  degree  with  those  which  are  depicted  in  the  published 
engravings  of  the  South  African  hunt.  Still  poorer  in  num- 
bers of  individuals  are  the  antelopes  in  Central  Africa  proper, 
where  the  uniform  diffusion  of  men  encloses  smaller  wastes 
than  those  which  can  alone  provide  large  lairs  for  game. 

Amongst  the  numerous  smaller  beasts  of  prey  to  which 
the  regions  that  I  visited  gave  harbourage,  the  zebra-ichneu- 
mon was  to  me  one  of  the  most  interesting.  I  was  very 
successful  in  securing  living  specimens  of  this  widely-scattered 
species,  and  could  not  suppress  my  astonishment  at  the 
facility  with  which  they  were  domesticated  in  my  dwelling ; 
if  ever  they  get  established  in  a  house  there  is  no  getting  rid 
of  them.  It  is  a  saucy  creature,  and  has  neither  fear  to  show 
nor  submission  to  yield  to  the  authority  of  man.  It  resembles 


ZEBRA-ICHNEUMON  :  MUCUNA  .UKENS.  359 

the  wild  cat  of  the  steppes  in  the  ease  with  which  it  can  be 
accustomed  to  a  home  life.  I  found  it  exceedingly  trouble- 
some on  account  of  tlie  pertinacious  curiosity  with  which  it 
peeped  into  all  my  cases  and  boxes,  upset  my  pots,  broke 
my  bottles,  with  no  apparent  object  but  to  investigate  the 
contents.  To  accomplish  its  aim  it  made  incessant  use  of  its 
long,  taper,  snuffling  snout  as  a  lever.  But  the  most  vexa- 
tious art  of  which  the  animal  was  master  was  the  skill  it  had 
in  scenting  out  the  spots  where  my  hens  were  accustomed  to 
lay  their  eggs,  and  of  which  it  learnt  the  flavour  before  I  had 
an  opportunity  of  removing  them  to  a  place  of  safety.  It  is 
moreover  a  tricky  little  animal  ;  by  whisking  and  wagging 
its  tail  it  assumes  the  appearance  of  fawning  and  wheedling, 
but  as  soon  as  anyone  touches  it,  he  gets  a  good  bite  on  his 
finger.  When  hunted  out  and  followed  by  dogs,  it  throws 
itself  down  on  its  back,  kicks  its  legs  about,  and  grins  and 
gnashes  with  its  teeth.  To  keep  clear  of  being  bitten  the 
best  way  is  to  pounce  upon  it  by  its  tail  and  to  let  it  hang 
dangling  in  the  air. 

One  morning  there  arrived  at  the  Seriba  from  the  far 
distant  boundaries  of  the  Bongo  several  wild-looking  men, 
armed  with  bows  and  arrows.  In  order  to  satisfy  myself  of 
the  effectiveness  of  their  weapons,  I  set  up  a  mark  at  a  short 
distance,  consisting  of  an  earthen  vessel,  in  front  of  which  I 
placed  a  good  thick  pad  of  straw,  and  over  all  I  threw  a 
stout  serge  coat.  Defying  all  the  coverings,  the  arrow 
penetrated  the  coat,  made  its  way  through  the  straw  and 
knocked  a  hole  in  the  earthenware,  which  was  nearly  half-an- 
inch  thick. 

A  plant  there  is  here  which  is  not  very  likely  to  be  for- 
gotten by  anyone  who  has  made  many  excursions  into  the 
woods :  I  mean  the  Mucuna  urens.  It  is  a  sort  of  bean,  of 
which  the  pods  are  enclosed  in  a  thick  rind  and  the  leaves  are 
covered  with  pungent  bristles.  These  bristles  are  as  brittle 
as  fibres  of  glass  and,  broken  off  by  the  wind,  are  dispersed  in 


360  THE  HEAET  OF  AFKICA. 

all  directions  over  the  foliage  in  the  forests.  No  one  who 
explores  the  thickets  can  escape  being  punished  by  these  tiny- 
prickles.  The  natives,  who  are  naked,  go  amongst  them  with 
the  extremest  caution.  The  stinging  sensation  they  cause 
lasts  about  ten  minutes,  but  it  may  be  alleviated  by  washing. 

There  is  a  kind  of  Christ's  Thorn  (ZizyjQhus  Baclei)  which 
every  December  yields  an  abundance  of  fruit,  consisting  of 
dry  mealy  berries,  which  have  a  very  bitter  taste.  The  colour 
of  these  is  not  unlike  a  chestnut ;  they  are  quite  unfit  for 
eating,  but  the  Bongo  prepare  a  powder  from  them  which 
they  throw  upon  the  surface  of  their  waters,  and  it  has  the 
effect  of  stupefying  the  fish. 

In  the  parched  steppe  I  repeatedly  found  a  huge  chafer 
belonging  to  the  family  of  the  Elateridae,  but  unfortunately 
the  specimens  which  I  secured,  together  with  my  other 
collection  of  insect  curiosities,  were  all  destroyed  by  fire; 
and  I  have  now  no  other  reminiscences  of  them  beyond 
the  notes  I  took  that  they  were  of  a  bright  brown  colour 
and  were  but  little  short  of  two  inches  and  a  half  in  length. 

Of  the  few  larger  shrubs  which  blow  in  the  winter,  an 
Echinops,  with  splendid  purple  blossoms  as  large  as  one's 
hand,  left  a  deep  impression  on  my  recollection.  They  start 
out  of  the  grass  in  situations  where  the  woods  are  not  over- 
dense,  and  rise  to  the  height  of  a  man.  For  the  sake  of  the 
security  of  what  has  been  styled  a  "  protective  resemblance," 
the  mantis  takes  up  its  quarters  amidst  its  boughs.  Just  as 
the  leaf-frog  secretes  itself  on  the  young  and  light  green 
foliage,  or  the  white  ptarmigan  resorts  to  the  snowy  downs  of 
the  frozen  nort.h,  so  does  the  mantis  here  take  up  its  abode 
on  the  tree  as  purple  as  itself,  and  there  endeavour  to  find  a 
world  in  which  it  may  conceal  its  singular  shape.  This  part 
of  Africa  seemed  to  produce  many  species  of  this  remarkable 
genus.  Whenever  I  saw  them  I  derived  fresh  confirmation 
for  my  belief  that  they  try  to  adapt  their  places  of  resort  to 
the  specific  colours  of  their  bodies :  the  result  of  this  is,  that 


LIONS. 


361 


they  often  startle  the  plant-collector  as  if  they  were  ghests, 
and  theu'  strange  shape  is  indeed  sonaewhat  suggestive  of  a 
harpy.  At  first  sight  the  heads  of  the  Echinops,  on  which 
they  settle,  look  like  malformations  of  the  shrub  itself,  for 
the  insect  uncoils  its  arms,  and  like  a  suppliant  lifts  them  to 
the  sky.  Every  variety  in  colour  seems  to  belong  to  the 
mantis;  I  have  seen  them  red,  yellow,  green,  and  brown; 
the  most  remarkable  of  all  was  one  of  the  colour  of  grass, 
which  I  found  upon  the  peak  of  my  hut  in  the  Meshera,  and 
which  was  of  the  surprising  length  of  ten  inches. 

Around  Sabby  the  general  security  was  so  complete  that, 
quite  at  my  ease  and  entirely  unarmed,  I  might  have  ranged 
the  woods  if  there  had  been  a  certain  immunity  from  being 
attacked  by  lions ;  and  against  this  I  was  compelled  to  be  on 
my  guard  as  I  penetrated  the  depths  of  the  wilderness  to 
secure  the  novelties  of  vegetation,  which  could  not  fail 
to  excite  my  curiosity.  Although  my  vocation  constrained 
me  day  after  day  to  explore  the  recesses  of  the  woods  more 
thoroughly,  and  to  make  my  way  through  places  hitherto 
inaccessible,  yet  I  never  met  with  any  untoward  accident. 
At  home  I  am  quite  aware  that  there  are  some  who  entertain 
the  idea  that  every  traveller  in  Central  Africa  is  engaged  in 
perpetual  lion-fights,  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are 
some  who  make  the  insinuating  inquiry  as  to  whether  lions 
are  ever  really  seen.  In  a  degree  both  are  right — both  are  in 
the  avenue  of  truth.  Lions  are,  in  fact,  universal,  and  may  be 
met  with  anywhere ;  but  their  numbers  are  not  absolutely 
large,  but  only  proportioned  to  the  princely  rank  they  hold 
in  the  scale  of  animal  creation.  Their  appearance  is  always 
a  proof  of  the  proximity  of  the  larger  kinds  of  game.  Cor- 
responding to  the  line  in  history,  which  tells  that  forty  gene- 
rations of  Mamelooks  tyrannized  over  the  people  of  Egypt, 
might  be  registered  the  line  in  the  records  of  the  animal 
kingdom,  which  might  run  that  forty  lions  found  subsistence 
in  the  land. 


362 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


It  is  not  to  be  presumed  that  every  hunting  excursion  in 
Africa  is  associated  with  adventure.  Such  is  far  from  the 
fact,  and  it  would  be  utterly  wearisome  for  me  to  recount 
every  frivolous  incident  of  my  ordinary  hunt  in  quest  of  game 
for  the  table.  Even  in  Africa  a  chase  may  be  as  insipid  as 
coursing  a  hare  in  the  environs  of  Paris.  Shooting  and 
hitting  are  two  different  things,  as  are  also  hitting  and  kill- 
ing on  the  spot.  So  great  is  found  to  be  the  nervous  resist- 
ance of  the  larger  and  stronger  kinds  of  game  in  Africa  that 
the  sportsman  must  be  prepared  to  lose  at  least  70  per  cent, 
of  all  that  he  is  able  to  wound  ;  this  will  arise  not  merely 
from  his  being  destitute  of  dogs  to  follow  the  scent,  but  from 
his  continually  finding  himself  baffled  in  pursuit  by  the 
world  of  grass  and  of  marshes,  through  which  he  is  obliged 
to  make  his  way.  When  on  the  march,  another  obstacle  to 
securing  what  is  shot  often  arises  from  the  fear  of  being  left 
behind  by  the  caravan,  and  the  possibility  of  losing  one's 
way  necessitates  a  despatch  which  is  unfavourable  to  success. 

One  afternoon  the  chase  after  a  considerable  troop  of 
hartebeests  led  me  deep  into  the  wood.  The  cunning  animals 
watched  my  movements  very  anxiously ;  by  stopping  re- 
peatedly they  enticed  me  continually  further  on  into  the 
gloom,  and  still  eluded  the  chance  of  giving  me  a  shot.  Already 
had  I  penetrated  so  far  into  the  forest  that  the  rays  of  the 
sun  were  totally  lost,  and  everything  was  wrapped  in  the 
obscurity  of  twilight ;  I  was  about  to  make  my  way  over  a 
depression  in  the  ground,  to  get  nearer  to  an  elevation  from 
which  the  antelopes  were  calmly  surveying  me,  when  I  sud- 
denly stumbled  over  some  huge  shapeless  object,  which 
seemed  to  me  to  be  moving.  Owing  to  the  obscurity  of  the 
place  I  could  not  distinguish  anything,  but  I  found  there 
was  an  ant-hill  close  by,  of  which  I  endeavoured  to  make 
some  use  ;  under  the  protection  of  this  I  made  an  attempt 
to  get  a  few  steps  nearer  to  the  enigmatical  creature  that 
lay  before  me  ;  from  boliind  the  mound  I  cautiouslv  made 


WILD  BOAR  SHOT. 


an  investigation,  and  just  at  that  instant  the  animal  made  a 
lurch,  and  revealed  to  me  the  snout  of  a  huge  wild  boar, 
which  seemed  to  cover  the  whole  face  like  a  mask,  while  a 
great  pair  of  tusks  projected  from  the  bushy  bristles  of  the 
enormous  jaws ;  the  stolid  gaze  of  the  brute  made  it  clear 
that  it  was  not  conscious  of  my  being  near,  but  it  seemed 
ready  to  take  a  spring  upon  the  first  intruder  that  should 
disturb  it;  I  approached  within  the  shortest  possible  dis- 
tance, and  then  took  aim,  and  lodged  my  bullet  in  the  body 
of  the  beast.  The  spectacle  that  ensued  was  very  singular. 
The  unwieldy  creature,  contracted  like  an  impaled  fly,  turned 
over  on  to  its  side,  and  then,  with  another  contortion,  on  to 
its  back,  where  it  writhed  about  and  jerked  its  legs  in  every 
direction.  Whilst  I  was  patiently  abiding  my  time  till  the 
beast  should  expire,  I  was  taken  by  surprise  as  I  observed 
that  the  hartebeests  were  within  pistol-shot  of  where  I  stood, 
as  if  they  had  been  spell-bound  by  the  incident  which  had 
interposed  to  rescue  them  from  their  pursuer.  I  was-  ready 
anew  to  take  my  aim  at  them.  I  had,  however,  only  a  single- 
barrelled  gun,  and  no  one  in  attendance  to  hand  me  a  second. 
I  was  just  on  the  point  of  loading,  when,  by  one  of  those 
unlucky  chances  that  will  occur,  I  discovered  that  in  my  pre- 
cipitation I  had  used  all  my  bullets,  and  should  only  waste 
my  labour  in  following  up  the  pursuit.  The  wild  boar,  how- 
ever, was  mine,  and  I  had  it  brought  to  my  quarters  the 
same  evening.  I  went  to  bed  without  partaking  of  a  supper 
from  it,  for  whenever  there  is  anything  to  do  with  the  detest- 
able flesh  of  a  wart-hog,  1  am  a  regular  Mohammedan. 
Accordingly,  I  had  the  greatest  satisfaction  in  handing  it 
over  to  the  hungry  negroes. 

An  incident  still  more  peculiar  had  occurred  to  me  on  a 
previous  occasion  when  I  had  gone  out  to  hunt,  attended  by 
one  of  my  Nubians,  who  rode  a  donkey,  of  which  the  supposed 
office  was  to  carry  home  whatever  might  be  the  produce  of 
my  sport.    I  left  my  servant  and  the  donkey  carefully  out 


364 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


of  siglit  in  a  spot  where  two  rifts  in  the  soil  represented 
what,  during  the  rains,  was  the  course  of  two  connected 
brooks.  Proceeding  to  the  tall  grass,  I  was  not  long  in  sight- 
ing a  small  bush-antelope.  I  took  a  shot,  and  could  entertain 
DO  doubt  but  that  the  animal  was  struck.  I  saw  it  scamper 
across  the  grass,  and  was  every  moment  expecting  to  see  it 
fall,  when  I  heard  a  sudden  bleat  of  anguish,  and  it  was  gone. 
Forcing  my  way  through  the  rank  grass,  I  made  the  closest 
scrutiny  all  around  the  place  where,  but  a  few  minutes  since, 
I  had  seen  the  wounded  antelope,  but  my  search  was  all  in 
vain.  I  was  encumbered  in  my  movements  by  having  to 
carry  a  couple  of  guns ;  but,  knowing  that  the  area  of  the 
ground  was  bounded  by  the  two  rifts  that  enclosed  it,  I  felt 
certain  that  my  search  would  not  be  without  success.  At 
length  I  discovered  the  antelope  almost  at  my  feet,  but  it 
was  fixed  immovably  ;  it  was  fastened  to  the  ground  by  what 
seemed  to  me  at  first  the  filthy  skirt  of  one  of  the  negroes. 
Looking  more  closely,  however,  I  soon  saw  that  the  creature 
had  been  seized  by*  an  immense  serpent,  that  had  wound 
itself  three  times  round  its  body,  leaving  its  head  projecting 
and  drawn  down  so  as  well  nigh  to  touch  the  tail.  I  retreated 
far  enough  to  take  an  effectual  aim,  and  fired.  The  huge 
python  immediately  reared  itself  bolt  upright,  and  made  a 
dash  in  my  direction,  but  it  was  able  only  to  erect  its  head; 
the  hinder  parts  lay  trailing  on  the  ground,  because  the  ver- 
tebral connection  was  destroyed.  Seeing  the  state  of  things, 
I  loaded  and  fired  repeatedly,  taking  my  aim  almost  at  ran- 
dom, for  the  evolutions  of  a  snake  are  as  difficult  to  follow 
as  the  flight  of  the  goat-sucker.  I  had  on  other  occasions 
proved  that  a  snake  may  be  killed  by  one  ordinary  load  of 
shot,  if  this  at  once  breaks  the  vertebral  column.  I  now 
completed  my  capture ;  the  return  to  my  quarters  was  made 
in  triumph ;  the  double  booty  formed  a  double  burden,  the 
snake  on  one  side  of  the  donkey  and  the  antelope  on  the 
other,  balancing  each  other  admirably. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


Tour  through  the  Mittoo  country.  Early  morning  in  the  wilderness.  Soldier 
carried  away  by  a  lion.  Dokkuttoo.  Fishing  in  the  Roah.  Feeding  a  slave 
caravan.  Ngahma.  Dimindoh,  the  hunter's  Seriba.  Wounds  from  the 
grass.  Dangadduloo.  Entertainment  in  the  Seribas.  The  river  Eohl. 
Reception  at  Awoory.  Footsore.  Trial  of  patience.  People  of  the  district. 
Poncet's  Seriba  Mvolo.  Mercantile  prospects  for  the  Egyptian  Government. 
Fantastic  character  of  landscape.  Structure  of  pile-work.  Rock-rabbits. 
Rock-rabbits'  feet.  Nile  cataract  in  miniature.  The  Tinnea  sethiopica. 
Seriba  Karo  on  the  Wohko.  Reggo  and  its  breed  of  dogs.  Kurraggera. 
Aboo  Sammat's  festivities.  A  speech  of  the  Kenoosian.  Aboo  Sammat 
and  the  subjugated  chiefs.  Deragoh  and  its  mountains.  Kuddoo  on  the 
Roah.  Fear  of  lions  in  the  forest  of  Geegyee.  Return  to  Sabby.  The 
Mittoo  people.  Inferiority  of  race.  Disfiguration  of  the  lips  by  Mittoo 
women.    Fetters  of  fashion.    Love  of  music. 

I  SPENT  December  and  January  in  a  tour  of  considerable 
extent  through  the  adjacent  Mittoo  country,  being  desirous 
of  yisiting  some  Seribas  recently  established  by  Aboo 
Sammat,  and  by  means  of  which  he  had  extended  his 
frontiers  far  onwards  towards  the  east.  I  obtained  ten 
bearers  for  the  transport  of  my  baggage,  and  a  Nubian 
captain  of  Aboo  Sammat's  company  was  expressly  appointed 
to  act  as  guide  and  to  provide  for  my  accommodation  all 
along  the  route.  I  was  accompanied  likewise  by  three  of  my 
own  Khartoom  servants. 

A  short  journey  to  the  north-east  brought  us  to  Boiko, 
where,  enclosed  by  a  dense  forest,  was  situated  Aboo  Sam- 
mat's harem.  A  lady  here,  the  first  wife,  a  daughter  of  the 
Niam-niam  chief  Wando,  although  she  did  not  permit  herself 
to  be  seen,  was  near  at  hand  to  do  the  honours :  she  was  so 


366 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


far  civilized  that  she  entertained  me  with  coffee  and  several 
Khartoom  dishes. 

Proceeding  eastwards  we  reached  the  little  river  Tudyee, 
which,  flowing  past  Sabby  at  a  distance  of  about  two  leagues 
to  the  east,  ultimately  joins  the  Koah  (the  Nam  Dyow  of  the 
Dinka) ;  at  this  time  of  year  it  is  about  twenty  feet  deep, 
and  murmurs  along  a  channel  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
wide ;  now  and  then  it  forms  deep  basins,  which  never  fail  to 
be  full  of  fish.  We  made  our  first  night-camp  near  a  fine 
tamarind,  which  will  probably  for  years  to  come  be  a  land- 
mark as  conspicuous  as  it  was  at  the  time  of  my  visit ;  it 
was  the  usual  halting-place  of  all  caravans  from  east  to  west, 
and  the  traces  of  previous  encampments,  dilapidated  straw- 
•hats,  vestiges  of  fires  and  fragments  of  bones  bore  ample 
testimony  to  the  fact. 

At  this  season  a  slight  dew  was  perceptible  towards  five 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  nights  were  calm  and,  in 
comparison  with  the  day,  were  considerably  cooler  than  in 
summer,  when  in  the  interior  of  the  huts  there  is  hardly  any 
difference  in  temperature  to  be  distinguished.  Throughout 
the  day,  however,  a  strong  north  wind  blew  incessantly, 
which  towards  the  afternoon  increased  almost  to  a  hurri- 
cane. There  is  a  peculiar  charm  in  these  early  morning 
hours,  and  no  one  can  wake  from  his  repose  in  a  night-camp 
in  the  wilderness  without  a  sense  of  calm  enjoyment  of  the 
delights  of  natui-e.  As  soon  as  the  horizon  reddens  with 
the  dawn  the  solitude  is  enlivened  by  a  chorus  of  ring-doves, 
here  the  most  frequent  of  their  kind,  and  by  the  cackling 
of  guinea-fowl.  The  traveller  is  aroused  daily  by  their 
serenades,  and,  without  much  strain  upon  his  imagination, 
he  could  almost  persuade  himself  that  he  has  been  long 
resident  in  the  same  spot,  so  familiar  does  the  cooing  of  the 
doves  become. 

As  we  were  preparing  to  continue  our  march,  some  people 
came  to  meet  us  with  some  dismal  intelligence  from  the 


CARRIED  OFF  BY  A  LION. 


367 


neighbouring  village  of  Geegyee.  They  said  that  on  the 
previous  night  a  Nubian  soldier,  who  had  laid  himself  down 
at  the  door  of  his  hut,  about  five  paces  from  the  thorn  hedge, 
had  been  seized  by  a  lion,  and,  before  he  could  raise  an  alarm 
liad  been  dragged  off  no  one  knew  whither.  I  now  learnt, 
that  this  district  had  for  some  years  been  infested  with  lions, 
and  that  lately  the  casualties  had  been  so  frequent  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  of  Geegyee  had  migrated  in 
consequence.  The  entire  village  would  have  been  trans- 
planted long  ago,  but  the  lions  had  been  always  found  to 
follow  every  change  of  position.  At  seven  o'clock  in  the 
morning  we  reached  the  ill-omened  spot,  the  poorest  of 
neglected  villages,  surrounded  by  woods.  A  thorn  hedge 
formed  its  enclosure  but  nowhere  could  we  discover  an 
entrance.  Although  the  sun  was  now  high,  the  inhabitants, 
terrified  lest  the  lions  should  be  near,  were  still  sitting 
either  on  the  tops  of  their  roofs  or  on  the  piles  that  sup- 
ported their  granaries.  Speechless  and  depressed  with  fear, 
my  people  proceeded  on  their  journey:  every  one  kept  his 
gun  in  hand,  and  the  bearers,  listening  anxiously  at  every 
rustle  that  broke  the  stillness,  peered  carefully  after  any 
traces  of  the  dreaded  foe. 

After  a  good  day's  march  we  arrived  at  Aboo  Sammat's 
Seriba  Dokkuttoo,  lying  on  the  extreme  east  of  the  frontier 
of  the  Bongo ;  it  was  about  twenty  miles  from  the  chief  Seriba 
Sabby,  being  somewhat  further  to  the  south.  Half  a  league 
before  we  reached  Dokkuttoo  we  had  crossed  a  considerable, 
though  only  periodical  stream,  called  the  Mokloio.  It  was 
now  five  feet  deep,  meandering  over  a  low  flat  fifty  feet  wide 
to  join  the  Eoah. 

The  Koah  is  a  river  of  about  the  same  size  as  the  Tondy, 
with  which  it  finally  unites  itself;  it  here  makes  a  remark- 
able bend  from  south-east  to  north-east,  but  its  general 
direction  for  some  distance  in  this  district  is  due  north ; 
the  stream  flowed  between  banks  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in 

Vol.  L— 26 


368 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


height ;  its  average  width  was  full  forty  feet,  whilst  it  was 
only  three  feet  deep ;  the  velocity  of  the  current  was  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet  a  minute.  The  grass  flat  covered 
by  the  Eoah  at  the  time  of  its  inundation  is  not  so  widci 
as  that  covered  by  the  Tondy  at  Koolongo ;  it  measured 
barely  half  a  league  across,  and  I  therefore  conclude  that  this 
river  carries  northward  a  volume  of  water  smaller  than  the 
Tondy. 

The  Bongo  were  most  assiduous  in  securing  the  large 
supplies  of  fish  offered  by  the  Koah.  Across  the  stream  in 
many  places  was  thrown  a  kind  of  weir  like  a  chevaux  de 
frise;  this  they  stopped  up  with  bunches  of  grass  and  so 
formed  a  small  dam ;  over  the  open  places  were  set  creels, 
and  altogether  a  rich  produce  rarely  failed  to  be  obtained. 
Some  miles  up  the  river,  where  the  banks  are  shut  in  by 
impenetrable  reeds,  is  a  favourite  resort  of  hippopotamuses, 
and  it  was  said  that,  two  years  previously,  the  natives  had 
killed  no  less  than  thirty  in  a  single  day.  The  brutes 
had  been  driven  by  the  low  condition  of  the  water  to  seek 
the  deeper  basins  of  the  river-bed,  whence  all  escape  was 
impossible. 

We  remained  in  Dokkuttoo  for  two  days,  of  which  I  made 
the  most  by  excursions  in  the  neighbourhood.  A  small 
slave  caravan,  containing  one  hundred  and  fifty  girls  and 
children,  happened  to  be  passing  through  the  Seriba ;  it  was 
conducted  by  traders  coming  from  Ghattas's  and  Agahd's 
territory  in  the  east.  The  whole  party  huddled  together  for 
the  night  in  a  couple  of  huts,  several  old  female  slaves  being 
entrusted  with  the  supervision  of  the  children.  I  was  a 
witness  of  the  arrangements  for  the  evening  meal,  and, 
contrary  to  my  expectation,  found  that  everything  was 
conducted  with  much  system  and  regularity.  The  old 
Bongo  people  of  the  neighbouring  villages  had  brought  fifty 
bowls  of  dokhn-groats,  and  as  many  more  containing  sauces 
prepared    from    sesame-oil,   Hyptis-pap,  and  dried  and 


FORCED  PROVISIONS. 


369 


powdered  meat  or  fish,  and  other  comestibles  of  gourds  and 
wild  Melochia. 

My  own  entertainment  was  well  provided  for,  and  the 
agent  had  an  extra  bullock  slaughtered  in  order  that  my 
little  company  should  not  proceed  without  the  supply  of 
meat  necessary  for  the  journey.  Every  mouthful  of  food 
that  I  swallowed  in  this  unhappy  country  was  a  reproach  to 
the  conscience,  but  the  voice  of  hunger  drowned  every  higher 
emotion ;  even  the  bread  that  we  ate  had  been  forced  from 
the  very  poorest  in  the  season  of  their  harvest  when  their 
joy,  such  as  it  was,  was  at  its  height ;  they  probably  had 
neither  cow  nor  goat,  and  their  little  children  were  in  peril 
of  dying  of  starvation  and  only  dragged  out  a  miserable 
existence  by  scraping  up  roots.  The  meat,  in  the  abundance 
of  which  we  were  revelling,  had  been  stolen  from  poor 
savages,  who  pay  almost  a  divine  homage  to  their  beasts,  and 
who  answer  with  their  blood  for  the  stubbornness  with  which 
they  defend  their  cows,  which  they  hold  dearer  than  wife  or 
child. 

Leaving  Dokkuttoo,  we  proceeded  for  three  leagues  to  the 
south,  passing  through  the  light  bushwood  that  skirted  the 
left  bank  of  the  Koah.  The  woods  lay  close  down  to  the 
river  as  it  flowed  between  its  rocky  banks.  Wq  crossed  the 
stream  near  some  huts,  already  inhabited  by  Mittoo,  of 
which  the  name  of  the  local  chief  was  Degbe.  Further 
south  our  path  again  and  again  crossed  wide  meadow-flats 
containing  water-basins  almost  as  large  as  lakes,  which,  as 
they  had  no  perceptible  current,  had  every  appearance  of 
being  ancient  beds  of  the  Koah.  Several  larger  kinds  of 
antelopes,  water-bucks,  and  hartebeests  appeared,  and  a  herd 
of  thirty  leucotis  challenged  me  to  a  chase.  At  night,  at 
our  bivouac  in  the  forest,  we  enjoyed  in  consequence  a  fine 
feast  of  the  savoury  game.  Between  the  Eoah  and  the  Kohl 
the  previous  uniformity  of  the  rocks  began  to  be  broken  by 
projections  of  gneiss  and  by  scattered  hills.    About  ten 


370 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


leagues  from  Ngahma  we  passed  a  remarkable  spot  of  this 
kind,  where  huge  blocks  of  stone  rose  in  mounds  from  which 
colossal  obelisks  might  be  hewn.  These  elevated  places 
alternated  with  extensive  flats  level  as  a  table  top. 

Ngahma  was  Aboo  Sam  mat's  most  important  settlement 
amongst  the  Mittoo.  It  lies  in  a  S.S.E.  direction  from 
Dokkuttoo  and  derives  its  name  from  the  elder  of  the  people, 
who,  with  his  twenty  wives,  resides  at  no  great  distance ;  by 
the  natives  it  is  called  Mittoo-mor.  From  Ngahma  I  turned 
north-east  towards  Dimindoh,  a  small  settlement  of  elephant- 
hunters  belonging  to  Ghattas's  "  Gebel  company,"  as  the 
people  style  his  establishments  on  the  Bahr-el-Gebel.  The 
district  was  the  highest  elevation  between  the  Roah  and  the 
Rohl,  the  country  being  more  diversified  by  defiles,  clefts,  and 
periodic  streams  than  that  which  I  had  previously  traversed. 
Dimindoh  lay  on  the  further  bank  of  a  little  river  called  the 
Wohko,  which,  during  our  march,  we  had  repeatedly  to  cross. 
The  stream  flows  over  a  course  of  some  seventy  miles  with- 
out any  perceptible  increase  in  its  dimensions,  a  peculiarity 
that  I  have  again  and  again  observed  in  many  other  small 
rivers,  which  seem  to  flow  across  wide  tracts  of  country 
unchanged  in  their  condition  by  the  affluence  of  any  spring 
or  running  brook. 

An  excellent  reception  awaited  me  in  Dimindoh.  The 
hunting- village  had  been  lately  built  of  straw  and  bamboo  at 
a  large  outlay,  and  there  were  regular  straw  palaces,  of  which 
the  new  domes  and  roofs  gleamed  with  all  the  golden  glory 
of  Ceres.  To  say  the  very  least,  our  rest  was  quite  undis- 
turbed by  rats,  and  the  idyllic  abodes  still  retained  the 
pleasant  aroma  of  the  meadows.  I  had  no  cause  to  complain 
of  the  entertainment  in  any  of  the  smaller  Seribas.  I  was 
always  supplied  with  milk  and  with  all  kinds  of  meal.  The 
traditional  spirit-distillery  of  Ghattas's  people  was  here  also 
in  full  swing,  and  they  brought  to  me,  in  gourd-shells,  a 
concoction  which  was  not  so  utterly  bad  as  that  at  Gurfala. 


TREATMENT  OF  WOUNDS. 


371 


I  was,  however,  much  bewildered  by  tlie  constant  solicita- 
tions for  my  medical  advice.  Amongst  other  cases  they 
brought  me  a  Nubian,  who,  on  his  excursions,  had  received 
such  cuts  from  the  grass  that  his  feet  had  completely  rotted 
away,  leaving  the  tendons  still  hanging.  These  people  have 
no  rational  way  of  treating  their  wounds,  but  when  there  is 
any  inflammation  they  endeavour  to  allay  it  by  corn-poultices 
and  hot  water,  a  proceeding  which  always  aggravates  the 
evil.  I  saw  some  who  had  lost  several  toes,  and  others  vvho 
had  the  most  revolting  sores  on  the  shins  and  insteps,  and 
in  nearly  every  case  these  had  arisen  from  insignificant  cuts 
which,  simply  from  mismanagement,  had  terminated  in 
disease. 

"  It  is  a  strange  thing,"  I  said  to  them,  "  that  the  grass  is 
only  bad  here  ;  it  must  be  something  more  than  that ;  it  is  a 
punishment  from  God." 

"  But  God,"  they  answered,  "  does  not  give  us  such  grass 
in  Dongola ;  this  is  a  bad  country." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  then,"  I  replied,  '*  that  God  is  kind 
in  Dongola,  and  unkind  here  ?  No ;  I  tell  you,  God  is 
Himself  punishing  you  for  all  your  thievery,  because  there 
is  here  no  other  ruler  to  look  after  your  misdeeds." 

I  felt  that  I  was  quite  justified  in  talking  in  this  fashion  to 
a  people  who,  under  the  cloak  of  religion,  are  as  unscrupulous 
rascals  as  any  in  the  world,  and  who,  misinterpreting  the 
mottoes  on  their  banners  which  incite  them  to  war  against 
the  infidel,  consider  all  plunder  perpetrated  on  defenceless 
savages  as  heroic  actions  bearing  them  onwards  to  the  palms 
of  Paradise. 

The  chief  Seriba  of  this  eastern  section  of  Gbattas's  esta- 
blishments lies  only  a  league  and  a  half  to  the  north-east 
of  Dimindoh,  and  was  called  Dangadduloo,  after  a  certain 
Danga,  who  had  been  appointed  the  head  of  the  Mittoo  of 
the  district.  In  1863  the  brothers  Poncet  of  Khartoom  had 
ceded  to  Ghattas  their  settlements  amongst  the  Agar,  on  the 


372 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Eohl,  in  order  to  found  fresh  establishments  in  the  following 
year  near  the  cataracts  of  that  river,  among  the  Lehssy.  The 
Agar,  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  had  managed  to  obtain 
possession  of  a  considerable  quantity  of  firearms  and  ammu- 
nition, and  had  made  themselves  so  formidable  that  the 
Khartoomers  had  not  ventured  to  rebuild  the  Seriba  that 
had  been  destroyed :  for  that  reason,  the  settlements  of 
Ghattas  had  receded  southwards  to  the  region  in  which  I  now 
found  myself.  Our  road  lay  often  across  wide  gneiss  flats, 
which  not  unfrequently  exhibited  the  same  uniformity  for 
several  hundred  yards  together.  From  the  surface  the  stone 
broke  off  in  smooth  lamin£e,  often  as  thin  as  the  cover  of  a 
book,  and  afforded  me  a  convenient  material  for  pressing  my 
packets  of  plants.  We  had  crossed  the  Wohko  for  the 
second  time  at  Dimindoh,  where  its  bed  was  about  fifteen  feet 
deep :  its  course  is  generally  due  north,  but  here  it  bends  at 
a  right  angle  to  the  east,  as  if  seeking  the  shortest  route  to 
join  the  Kohl.  The  little  river  abounds  in  shells,  especially 
in  Anodontae,  which  are  turned  to  many  domestic  uses  by 
the  natives,  while  the  massive  Etheria  Gailliaudii,  not  unlike 
the  oyster,  forms  continuous  banks  in  all  these  minor  streams. 

In  Dangadduloo  I  found  two  applicants  both  eager  to 
obtain  the  appointment  as  superintendent  of  the  Seriba. 
One  of  these  had  accompanied  the  last  caravan  of  supplies 
from  Khartoom,  and  now  was  not  acknowledged  in  the 
Seriba  by  the  soldiers,  who  reproached  him  for  having 
acted  fraudulently.  He  was  a  Copt,  and,  as  far  as  I  know, 
the  first  and  last  Khartoom  Christian  who  ever  ventured 
amongst  this  set  of  fanatics.  The  other  agent,  named  Selim, 
was  a  negro  over  six  feet  high,  and  by  birth  a  Dinka ;  he 
had  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Seriba  on  his 
side,  and  lived  in  continual  contention  with  his  rival  about 
the  surrender  of  the  stores  brought  from  Khartoom.  Both 
of  these  men  received  me  with  a  great  show  of  friendship, 
and  each  strove  to  outdo  the  other  in  politeness ;  they  con- 


COLD  CUP. 


373 


sideied  that  a  great  deal  might  depend  upon  the  answer 
that  I  should  give  their  master  on  my  return  to  Kliartoom, 
when  he  would  probably  ask  my  opinion  of  their  respective 
merits.  Each  maligned  the  other,  and  almost  in  the  same 
terms ;  they  were  both,  moreover,  throughout  the  two  days 
which  I  spent  with  them  more  or  less  in  a  state  of 
intoxication. 

Wherever  I  entered  a  Seriba  there  was  almost  invariably 
brought  to  my  hut,  according  to  the  Soudan  fashion  of 
receiving  strangers,  a  cooling  draught,  consisting  of  a  kind 
of  cold  cujo  called  Abrey.  It  was  made  in  the  simplest 
manner  from  highly-leavened  bread,  dried  and  crumbled 
into  water;  its  flavour  is  agreeable,  and  travellers  can 
hardly  say  too  much  in  its  favour:  it  is  a  preparation, 
however,  that  can  only  be  made  of  sorghum  bread.  In 
addition  to  this  the  people  are  accustomed,  according  to 
patriarchal  usage,  to  bring  water  to  wash  the  stranger's 
feet.  When  these  preliminaries  had  been  gone  through, 
I  had  then  to  take  my  seat  upon  the  "  angareb  "  or  couch, 
which  was  generally  covered  with  an  elegant  Persian  carpet, 
and  to  await  the  visits  that  would  be  made  me. 

A  succession  of  unknown  personages  ordinarily  came, 
who  made  a  reverent  salaam  and  then  silently  and  with 
mysterious  air  placed  before  me  flasks,  calabashes,  and 
gourd-shells  containing  butter,  milk,  honey,  spirits,  merissa — 
in  short,  every  delicacy  that  the  country  could  offer.  My 
people  revelled  in  this  abundance,  and  ever  rejoiced  at  the 
happy  thought  which  had  impelled  me  to  this  tour,  and 
that  I  had  brought  them  from  a  land  threatened  with 
famine  into  this  region  of  corn  and  cattle.  The  fact  of  a 
large  number  of  the  herds  having  been  stolen,  and  that 
the  territory  was  adjacent  to  the  territory  that  had  been 
plundered,  gave  rise  to  the  risk  of  a  nocturnal  attack  by 
way  of  reprisal :  on  this  account  numerous  watches  were 
set  every  night  and  the  environs  were  patrolled,  but  no 


374 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


sooner  had  the  sun  gone  down  than  the  entire  community 
abandoned  themselves  to  a. general  intoxication,  so  that  I 
should  never  have  been  astonished  if  the  Dinka  had  ven- 
tured on  a  surprise,  which  would  have  had  every  likelihood 
of  being  crowned  with  success. 

The  Mittoo  of  this  district  are  called  Gheree.  Southwards 
and  far  to  the  east  of  the  Rohl  the  general  name  of  Moro 
is  applied  to  the  country,  and  as  tribes  of  distinct  people 
have  settled  there,  it  may  no  doubt  be  considered  as  a  true 
geographical  designation  of  the  land  itself;  it  is,  however, 
the  only  example  which  came  under  my  notice  throughout 
the  entire  region  of  the  appellation  of  the  people  and  the 
land  not  being  identical. 

Favoured  by  the  partial  destruction  of  the  high  grass 
by  fire,  the  natives  were  diligently  setting  about  their 
great  hunt.  Battues,  with  nets,  pits,  and  snares,  were  set 
on  foot  in  every  direction;  the  strong  bows  with  curved 
handles,  by  means  of  which  a  lasso  can  by  skill  be  thrown 
round  a  buffalo's  legs,  being  in  general  use.  In  the  villages 
I  observed  many  trophies  of  the  chase  in  the  shape  of  some 
splendid  horns  of  buffaloes  and  eland-antelopes. 

As  I  went  on  due  east  towards  the  Eohl,  I  was  obliged  to 
be  carried,  on  account  of  having  a  sore  foot.  This  I  found  a 
matter  of  some  difficulty,  on  account  of  the  want  of  any 
suitable  litter,  and  because  the  paths  are  all  so  narrow  that 
there  is  no  space  for  two  persons  to  move  abreast,  while 
the  difficulty  was  still  further  increased  by  the  negroes  re- 
fusing to  carry  the  heavy  angarebs  in  any  way  except  upon 
their  heads.  Wherever  Islamism  has  its  sway  in  Africa,  it 
appears  never  to  be  the  fashion  for  any  one  to  allow  him- 
self to  be  carried :  this  arises  from  a  religious  scruple  which 
might  with  advantage  be  applied  by  Europeans  to  nations 
under  their  protection.  A  strict  Mohammedan  reckons  it 
an  actual  sin  to  employ  a  man  as  a  vehicle,  and  such  a 
sentiment  is  very  remarkable  in  a  people  who  set  no 


IDENTIFICATION  OF  ROUTE. 


375 


limits  to  their  spirit  of  oppression.  It  is  a  known  fact  that 
a  Mohammedan,  though  he  cannot  refuse  to  recognise  a 
negro,  denying  the  faith,  as  being  a  man,  has  not  the  faintest 
idea  of  his  being  entitled  to  any  rights  of  humanity. 

The  country  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Wohko  appeared 
well  cultivated,  and  we  frequently  passed  through  fields 
irom  which  crops  of  Penicillaria  had  been  gathered.  Three 
leagues  from  Dangadduloo  there  was  some  low  meadow  land, 
and,  for  the  first  time  since  leaving  the  Dyoor,  I  saw  an 
extensive  range  of  Borassus  palms,  their  lofty  stems,  80 
feet  in  height,  crowned  with  waving  plumes  of  fan-shaped 
leaves.  Beneath  their  shade  nestled  the  huts  of  the  Mittoo 
chief  Bai,  with  whom  we  took  our  noonday  rest.  In  the 
afternoon  we  retraced  our  steps  for  a  couple  of  leagues,  in 
order  to  put  up  for  the  night  in  the  village  of  another  chief, 
named  Gahdy.  Towards  the  north-east  some  important 
heights  now  showed  themselves  on  the  horizon  beyond  the 
Rohl,  and  after  awhile  I  was  able  to  settle  certain  angles 
so  as  to  determine  their  relative  bearings.  By  this  means, 
for  the  first  time,  I  ascertained  that  my  route  must  be  near 
the  points  which  had  been  reached  by  former  travellers,  and 
I  could  with  certainty  identify  Girkeny,  relatively  about 
200  feet  high,  with  the  locality  marked  on  Petherick's 
map. 

It  afforded  me  much  amusement  to  watch  the  natives 
at  their  ordinary  occupations  in  their  pent-up  dwellings, 
and  my  portfolio  was  enriched  by  the  drawings  of  many 
of  the  household  utensils,  as  well  as  of  the  personal  orna- 
ments which  the  Mittoo  women  possess  in  great  abundance. 
These  women  are  the  most  frightful  that  ever  yet  I  had 
seen,  and  the  horrible  manner  in  which  they  mutilate  their 
lips  contributes  a  great  deal  to  increase  their  repulsiveness. 
Elsewhere  this  practice  is  generally  confined  to  the  women, 
but  here  the  men  were  similarly  disfigured,  and  in  Gahdy's 
village  I  was  visited  by  a  man  from  whose  upper  lip  there 


376 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


liurig  a  pendant  of  polished  quartz  more  than  two  inches 
long. 

Just  behind  the  village  we  came  once  more  upon  the 
Wohko,  which  bad  here  more  perfectly  assumed  the  aspect 
of  a  river,  being  forty  feet  in  width.  It  had  now  entered 
upon  the  wide  low-lying  steppe  which  extends  to  the 
western  shores  of  the  Kohl.  We  were  nearly  two  hours 
in  crossing  this  tract,  which  was  densely  covered  with  grass 
so  high  that,  although  in  my  litter  I  was  six  feet  above  the 
ground,  I  had  to  raise  myself  to  catch  sight  of  the.  adjacent 
mountains. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  how  all  the  rivers  that  I  visited  in 
this  region,  such  as  the  Dyoor,  the  Paongo,  the  Tondy,  the 
Roah,  and  the  Rohl,  of  which  the  course  was  almost  directly 
from  south  to  north,  in  spite  of  the  slight  diminution  of  the 
velocity  of  the  earth's  rotation  in  these  low  latitudes  of 
6°  or  8°,  follow  that  law,  exemplified  in  all  rivers  flowing 
northwards,  and  which  is  dependent  on  the  rate  of  rotation  of 
the  earth.  The  course  of  all  alike  was  nearly  coincident  with 
the  eastern  edge  of  the  uniform  steppes  that  covered  the 
districts  subject  to  their  inundations.  Along  the  western 
shore  of  the  Dyoor  and  Paongo  the  steppes  in  many  places 
could  not  be  crossed  in  much  less  than  an  hour,  whilst  those 
on  the  east  could  be  traversed  in  little  more  than  ten 
minutes.  In  the  same  way  it  takes  forty  minutes  to  cross 
the  western  flats  on  the  Tondy  near  Koolongo,  but  those 
on  the  opposite  bank  are  easily  passed  in  a  sixth  of  the 
time.  Here,  too,  upon  the  Rohl  there  are  no  flats  at  all 
upon  the  right-hand  shore,  but  the  river  for  some  distance 
washes  past  a  steepish  bank  on  which  lies  Ghattas's  Seriba 
Awoory.  This  bank  is  formed  by  the  slope  of  the  Girkeny, 
only  about  two  leagues  away. 

The  Rohl  contains  a  much  larger  volume  of  water  than 
the  Tondy,  and  near  Awoory  its  bed  divides  into  several 
branches,  whi(;h  in  the  winter  are  separated  by  sandbanks 


VARIOUS  NAMES  OF  THE  ROHL. 


377 


of  considerable  height.  In  the  higher  parts  some  stagnant 
pools  remain,  which,  as  they  evaporate,  fill  the  lowland  with 
swampy  humour.  On  the  17th  of  December  I  found  the 
width  of  the  river  to  be  seventy  feet;  its  depth  was  only 
about  two  feet  and  a  half,  but  it  was  overhung  by  sandy 
banks  twenty  feet  high,  which  were  covered  with  reeds ;  its 
current  moved  at  the  moderate  rate  of  about  a  hundred 
feet  a  minute.  The  river  must  offer  an  imposing  sight  in 
the  height  of  the  rainy  season,  when  the  plains  are  entirely 
under  water ;  it  must,  then,  apparently  rival  the  Dyoor, 
although  it  does  not  contain  more  than  a  third  of  the 
quantity  of  water.  Marked  on  existing  maps  under  the 
name  of  Kohl,  it  is  called  by  the  Dinka  the  Nam-Eohl,  i.  e., 
the  river  of  the  "Kohl,"  which  is  a  tribe  of  the  Dinka 
people.  The  l^Iittoo,  the  Madi,  and  other  tribes  along  its 
course  give  it  the  name  of  Yahlo,  whilst  among  the  Bongo 
it  is  known  as  the  Dyollebe.  This  is  a  fresh  instance  of 
what  may  be  found  throughout  Africa,  where  the  names 
of  rivers,  towns,  and  chiefs  continually  recur,  and  where 
Konga  and  Mundo  are  almost  as  common  as  Columbus, 
Franklin,  and  Jackson  in  North  America.  The  term  Kaddo 
or  Kodda,  which  appears  on  some  maps,  seems  superfluous, 
since  in  both  the  Mittoo  and  Behl  dialects  the  word  mearis 
only  "  a  river,"  or  generally  water." 

At  Awoory  a  reception  grander  than  usual  was  prepared 
for  me.  From  my  elevated  position  I  could  distinguish 
that  the  ant-hills  were  covered  with  black  heads  and  that 
hundreds  of  inquisitive  natives  had  collected  to  gratify  their 
curiosity  about  me.  As  I  entered  the  Seriba,  fifty  men 
were  drawn  up  before  the  gate,  under  orders  to  honour  me 
by  firing  a  salute.  Something  of  a  feeling  of  misgiving 
quivered  through  me,  and  it  was  a  relief  to  recollect  that 
I  was  up  in  the  air,  and  so  comparatively  safe  from  the 
shots  that  were  to  be  fired  on  the  ground. 

The  natives  around  Awoory  are  called  Sohfy,  and  are  the 


378 


THE  HEART  OP  AFRICA. 


same  as  the  Rohl,  who  dwell  further  east.  Their  language 
in  some  respects  resembles  those  of  the  Mittoo  and  the 
Bongo,  although  there  are  points  in  which  it  differs  ma- 
terially from  both.  In  appearance  and  habits,  the  Sohfy 
bear  a  close  affinity  to  the  Mittoo.  The  three  mountains 
to  the  north  of  Awoory  are  also  inhabited  by  the  Sohfy; 
Girkeny,  the  loftiest  of  these,  is  about  three  leagues  distant, 
and  consists  of  a  bright  mass  of  gneiss,  which  descends 
abruptly  towards  the  south  in  precipices  200  feet  apart. 
Petherick's  route  in  1863,  between  Aweel  and  Yirri,  lay 
across  this  mountain.  Nearer  the  Seriba  is  a  little  hill, 
with  its  villages  of  Nyeddy,  Yei,  and.  Madoory,  all  of  which 
are  tributary  to  Ghattas. 

About  a  day's  journey  to  the  north-east  there  rises  a  lofty 
table-land,  upon  which  the  name  of  Khartoom  has  been 
conferred  by  the  natives,  in  order  to  denote  its  importance 
and  impregnability  as  a  stronghold.  Its  inhabitants  are 
respected  by  the  people  of  the  Seriba  for  their  •  bravery 
in  war,  and  are  particularly  renowned  for  their  skill  in 
archery :  although  they  have  been  repeatedly  attacked, 
the  aggressors,  ever  unsuccessful,  have  been  obliged  to 
retreat  with  a  large  number  of  killed  and  wounded.  A  few 
weeks  previously  the  population  of  this  Mount  Khartoom 
had  attempted  to  surprise  the  Seriba,  which  most  probably 
would  not  have  escaped  entire  destruction,  if  the  garrison 
of  the  neighbouring  Seriba  of  the  Poncets  had  not  oppor- 
tunely come  to  its  relief. 

The  Nubians  apply  the  general  term  of  Dyoor  to  all  the 
tribes  on  the  Rohl  to  the  south  of  the  Dinka  territory, 
although  the  tribes  themselves,  having  nothing  in  common 
either  in  language,  origin,  or  customs  with  the  Dyoor  of  the 
west  (a  Shillook  tribe),  repudiate  the  definition.  The  desig- 
nation was  adopted  from  the  Dinka,  who  thus  distinguish  all 
tribes  that  do  not  devote  themselves  to  cattle-breeding. 
Petlierick  was  in  error  when  he  imagined  that  the  Dyoor 


MY  FOOT  INFLAMED. 


379 


country  known  to  him  in  his  earlier  travels  extended  so  far  aw 
to  include  the  Kohl :  he  would  have  escaped  his  misappre- 
hension if  he  had  only  noted  down  a  few  of  the  characteristic 
idioms  of  their  language. 

Whilst  I  was  in  Awoory  my  foot  became  so  much  worse 
that  for  two  days  I  was  almost  entirely  incapacitated.  Ex- 
ternally there  was  only  a  slight  spot  on  the  sole  of  the  foot, 
but  the  entire  limb  had  swollen  with  inflammation.  I  had 
every  reason  to  fear  an  outbreak  of  guinea- worm,  and  there- 
fore resigned  myself  to  the  cheerless  prospect  of  being 
invalided  for  several  weeks.  Unable  to  carry  out  my  in- 
tended trip  to  the  attractive  mountains  of  the  neighbourhood., 
I  had  no  alternative  but  to  submit  to  my  disappointment, 
and,  without  accomplishing  my  hopes,  I  was  compelled  to 
bid  farewell  to  Awoory.  For  six  days  I  had  been  confined 
to  my  litter,  and  meanwhile  all  search  for  plants,  all  the 
enticements  of  the  chase,  and  all  investigation  of  the  imple- 
ments peculiar  to  the  villages  had  to  be  given  up.  En- 
throned again  on  the  heads  of  four  sturdy  negroes,  I  pro- 
ceeded on  my  way.  Through  my  position,  my  range  of 
vision  was  somewhat  enlarged,  so  that  I  had  a  little  com- 
pensation for  my  helplessness  in  a  more  extensive  prospect 
over  the  pleasant  country.  Pain,  too,  was  subsiding,  and  no 
longer  engrossed  my  care.  The  bright  sky  above,  the  still 
solitude  of  the  steppes  around,  the  mild  air  of  the  tropical 
winter,  and  the  unwonted  ease  of  my  mode  of  progress,  all 
combined  to  lull  me  into  gentle  reverie.  The  slight  rustle 
made  by  the  footsteps  of  the  bearers  among  the  yielding 
stalks  was  the  only  sound  that  broke  my  silent  contempla- 
tions, and  I  could  almost  imagine  that  I  was  in  a  light  boat, 
being  driven  by  an  invisible  power  across  the  waves  of  a 
sea  of  grass. 

Until  we  passed  the  Kohl  the  road  lay  in  a  S.S.E.  direc- 
tion, close  along  its  right-hand  bank.  Inland,  the  country 
appeared  to  ascend  in  gently-rising  terraces,  but  the  character 


380 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


of  the  vegetation  continued  entirely  unaltered,  the  bush- 
forest  being  composed  of  trees  and  shrubs  of  the  same  kind 
that  I  had  observed  ever  since  we  had  set  foot  upon  the  red 
soil.  At  the  place  of  our  transit  the  stream  was  undivided ; 
but,  although  it  was  200  feet  in  breadth,  the  water  was  little 
more  than  knee-deep.  The  numbers  of  fish  were  quite  sur- 
prising, and  our  negroes  amused  themselves  by  darting  with 
their  arrows  at  the  swarms  of  little  perch,  never  failing  to 
make  good  their  aim. 

On  the  opposite  bank  we  entered  the  territory  of  another 
small  but  distinct  tribe  called  the  Lehssy,  whose  dialect  differs 
from  both  Mittoo  and  Sohfy.  Its  narrow  limits  extend  for  a 
few  leagues  to  the  east  of  the  river  as  far  as  Kirmo,  which 
was  one  of  the  places  visited  by  Petherick.  Beyond  again 
are  the  settlements  of  the  Bohfy,  in  whose  territory,  a  day's 
journey  to  the  east  of  Mvolo,  Agahd  maintains  a  Seriba,  which 
is  situated  on  the  Ayi,  a  river  which,  according  to  Petherick, 
contains  less  water  than  the  Kohl  and  joins  the  Dyamid 
before  it  enters  the  Bahr-el-Gebel.  To  the  north  of  the 
Bohfy  dwell  the  Behl,  who,  together  with  the  Agar  and 
Sohfy,  possess  such  wealth  of  cattle  as  to  provoke  continual 
raids  on  the  part  of  the  owners  of  the  Seribas.  Behind  the 
Behl  again,  towards  the  Bahr-ei-Gebel,  are  the  Atwol,  a 
people  much  feared  for  their  warlike  qualities,  rendering 
the  approaches  to  the  Meshera  of  that  river  so  unsafe  that 
caravans  are  often  in  considerable  danger  of  attack. 

After  crossing  the  Kohl  we  proceeded  a  mile  or  two  to 
the  S.E.,  and  arrived  at  Poncet's  Seriba  in  Mvolo.  The 
character  of  the  scenery  had  now  entirely  changed,  and  large 
blocks  of  granite,  at  one  time  in  solid  cubes,  at  another  in 
pointed  obelisks,  started  from  the  ground.  On  the  north  of 
•  the  Seriba,  and  a  little  above  the  place  where  we  forded  the 
river  in  coming  from  Awoory,  these  rocky  projections  caused 
the  stream  to  fall  into  rapids,  which,  on  a  reduced  scale, 
bore  a  resemblance  to  a  cataract  of  the  Nile.    This  chain  of 


THE  BANNER  OF  ISLAM. 


881 


scattered  rocks,  which  runs  across  the  country  from  west  to 
east,  has  been  mentioned  by  Petherick  (*  Travels  in  Africa,' 
vol.  ii.)  as  extending  to  the  south  of  the  village  of  Dugwara. 

The  agent  in  Mvolo,  who  had  been  for  many  years  in  the 
service  of  the  brothers  Poncet,  received  me  most  courteously. 
As  I  entered  within  the  palisade  of  the  Seriba,  a  hundred 
men  saluted  me  after  the  fashion  of  the  country,  and  even 
some  shots  were  fired  from  a  small  piece  of  naval  artillery  that 
stood  in  the  gateway.  However  honoured  I  might  feel  by 
this  polite  reception,  I  could  be  conscious  of  nothing  but 
vexation  at  the  sight  of  the  blood-red  banner  with  its  crescent 
and  extracts  from  the  Koran.  I  had  flattered  myself  in  vain 
with  the  hope  that  here  at  least  the  cheerful  waving  of 
the  tricolour— often  but  a  mockery — would  proudly  assert  the 
authority  and  independence  of  the  Frank.  My  people  had 
repeatedly  declared  that  they  would  on  no  account  follow 
under  my  flag,  and  I  had  no  means  open  to  me  of  convincing 
them  of  their  error.  The  unfurling  of  the  Mohammedan 
banner  over  the  possessions  of  a  Frenchman  is  a  practical 
demonstration  of  the  limited  measure  of  authority  which  is 
really  exercised  by  the  Khartoom  merchants  over  their  de- 
pendents in  the  interior.  There  is  not  a  single  Christian  in 
the  settlement,  so  that  the  condition  of  things  is  not  worse 
than  might  reasonably  be  anticipated.  Such,  at  any  rate,  is 
ray  opinion,  and  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  any  fellow-country- 
man of  Poncet's  would  either  hold  his  peace  or  pass  a 
judgment  even  sterner  than  mine. 

In  all  these  countries  the  slave-traffic  is  a  fact  tacitly 
acknowledged  quite  as  much  as  the  transactions  of  the  minor 
speculators  on  our  own  exchanges,  and  the  brothers  Poncet 
had  much  odium  to  endure  from  being  held  responsible  for 
the  delinquencies  of  their  subordinates  in  tliis  respect.  These 
accusations,  combined  with  the  difficulty  of  maintaining  a 
proper  control  over  the  conduct  of  their  people,  made  them 
hesitate  to  increase  the  number  of  their  settlements ;  their 


382 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


insignificant  profits,  moreover,  did  not  allow  them .  to  stand 
against  the  competition  of  the  neighbouring  companies, 
who  shrunk  from  no  means,  however  unlawful,  for  enriching 
themselves.  At  length  the  brothers  Poncet  had  become 
weary  of  the  illegitimate  proceedings  that  went  on  covertly 
in  defiance  of  their  authority,  so  that  a  year  previously  they 
had  disposed  of  their  establishments  to  the  Egyptian  Govern- 
ment, stipulating  for  a  period  of  three  years  for  a  payment 
of  a  percentage  on  the  entire  produce  of  ivory  at  the  current 
rate  of  interest.  Such  were  the  circumstances  under  which 
the  last  European  firm  withdrew  from  the  ivory  trade,  which 
had  really  been  originated  and  established  in  the  cbuntries 
of  the  Upper  Nile  by  Europeans  alone.  The  Egyptian 
Government  had  looked  forward  to  the  monopoly  of  the 
ivory  traffic  as  so  likely  to  be  lucrative  that  they  paid  a 
large  sum  for  its  purchase. 

Mvolo  was  practically  the  nearest  point  to  the  region 
which  was  most  productive  of  ivory,  and  there  was  a  direct 
route  from  the  Rohl  to  the  Monbuttoo  which  avoided  the 
hostile  territory  of  the  Niam-niam.  Latterly,  the  Poncets 
had  sent  out  two  expeditions  in  the  year  instead  of  one,  and 
had  thus  doubled  their  previous  annual  profits  through 
having  resources  which  were  not  available  to  any  other  esta- 
blishment. But,  in  spite  of  everything,  the  authorities  at 
Khartoom  must  have  advised  the  Government  very  badly, 
for  almost  immediately  after  the  discharge  of  the  grant 
allowed  to  the  Poncets  the  settlement  passed  into  other 
hands,  and  Ghattas  junior  obtained  for  himself  and  for  his 
heirs  the  whole  of  the  productive  territory. 

Many  may  think  that  a  resolution  of  the  Government  to 
monopolise  the  ivory  trade  in  this  district  would  augur  well 
for  the  future,  and  that  the  results  would  inevitably  tend 
towards  a  reform  of  the  existing  club-law,  but  it  is  really 
very  doubtful  whether  such  a  change  would  benefit  the  poor 
oppressed  natives.    It  is  true  that  by  a  larger  outlay  of 


SLAVE  DEALING. 


383 


capital  than  the  Khartoom  merchants  can  afford  the  profits 
might  be  considerably  increased,  and  many  sources  of  produce 
yet  undiscovered  might  be  brought  to  light ;  but,  as  I  have 
said  before,  there  can  never  be  ensured  a  proper  repre- 
sentative effectually  to  secure  the  interests  of  the  Viceroy. 
All  these  enterprises  are  more  or  less  involved  in  the  slave 
trade,  and  a  military  occupation  could  not  be  thought  of, 
because  only  Nubians  can  endure  the  climate,  and  Nubians 
would  never  submit  to  a  regular  discipline.  Of  the  ineradi- 
cable propensity  to  slave-dealing  which  has  always  shown 
itself  in  every  Government  official,  be  he  Turk  or  Egyptian, 
I  will  say  nothing;  but  I  may  venture  to  observe  that 
neither  a  regular  system  of  taxation  nor  the  suppression  of 
the  slave  trade  in  the  Upper  Nile  countries  is  possible  until 
Egypt  shall  have  made  good  its  footing  in  Darfoor,  that  great 
nucleus  of  the  Central  African  slave  traffic,  which  has  liitherto 
been  a  place  of  refuge  for  all  the  criminals  in  the  Egyptian 
Soudan,  and  which  affords  a  continual  loophole  of  retreat  for 
every  outlaw  of  Khartoom.  The  threat  so  often  heard  in  the 
quarrels  of  the  people,  "  1  will  murder  you,  and  escape  to 
Darfoor,"  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  estimate  in  which 
the  district  is  held. 

The  inhabitants  of  Mvolo  call  themselves  Lehssy,  and  in 
many  particulars  of  their  habits  they  resemble  the  Mittoo 
and  Bongo.  In  the  huts  I  frequently  observed  some  singular 
wooden  figures,  the  Penates  of  the  establishment,  which  had 
been  erected  to  the  memory  of  a  departed  wife.  Petherick 
describes  the  graves  near  Kirmo  as  adorned  with  forked 
boughs,  and  bits  of  wood  carved  into  the  shape  of  horns, 
exactly  as  I  noticed  them  on  the  graves  of  the  Bongo. 

The  district  produces  plenty  of  corn,  and  with  its  ample 
opportunities  for  hunting  and  fishing  supports  a  tolerably 
large  population,  which  has  every  appearance  of  being  well 
fed.  The  Lehssy  generally  are  of  a  medium  height,  but  I 
came  across  individuals  of  a  strength  of  build  such  as  I  saw 

Vol.  I.— 27 


384 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


nowhere  else  except  among  the  Niam-niam.  I  was  also  struck 
by  the  frequent  occurrence  of  feet  and  hands  dispropor- 
tionately large.  Dongolo,  the  native  overseer  of  Mvolo,  was, 
on  account  of  his  stoutness,  called  *'  bermeel,"  a  barrel ;  and 
another  of  the  inhabitants  was  nicknamed  elephant-foot." 

Distinct,  in  some  respects,  from  what  I  had  already  seen 
was  this  district  of  Mvolo.  Far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  there 
extended  a  wide  grassy  plain,  broken  by  huge  stones  of 
fantastic  outline  and  by  thickets  or  single  trees.  Graceful 
fan-palms  waved  above  the  groves,  and  the  autumn  tints 
gave  a  rich  colouring  to  the  scenery,  every  rock,  with  its 
covering  of  creepers,  being  a  picture  in  itself.  In  the  north 
could  be  seen  the  three  mountains  near  Awoory,  like 
purple  peaks  in  the  pale  azure  of  the  horizon.  In  the  far 
distance  the  country  had  the  deep  blue  of  an  Italian  sky, 
mellowed  as  it  came  nearer  into  peculiar  tints  of  grey 
and  golden  brown ;  whilst  close  to  the  foreground  all  was 
bright  with  the  varied  hues  of  foliage,  red,  yellow,  and  olive- 
green  alternating  with  the  freshness  of  the  sprouting  shrubs, 
the  Indian  red  of  the  ant-hills,  and  the  silvery  grey  of  the 
jutting  rocks. 

The  Seriba,  like  its  environs,  was  unique  of  its  kind.  The 
formidable  appearance  of  the  confused  pile-work  would  have 
spoilt  the  night's  rest  of  any  one  who  had  a  very  sensitive 
imagination.  Something  like  a  picture  I  remember  of  the 
Antiquary's  dream,  only  without  the  sea,  did  the  complica- 
tion of  huts  stand  out  against  the  tail  blocks  of  granite 
from  which  the  fan-palms  started  like  proud  columns.  The 
huts  themselves,  on  their  platform  of  clay,  were  like  paper 
cones  on  a  flat  table.  In  front  was  the  great  farmyard,  with 
its  hundreds  of  cattle  under  the  charge  of  Dinka  servants. 
These  neatherds  erect  for  themselves  crooked  awnings  on 
equally  crooked  piles,  and  sit  huddled  up  on  a  soft  bed  of 
ashes  round  the  ever-glowing  dungheaps,  inhaling  with 
delight  their  favourite  fumes.    These  pile-works  undergo 


1 


IjMvtrttty  of  WWnoU 


Tim  Ltomrv 
•f  the 
^Mfn^y  of  ltl1i»o4i 


KOCK-EABBITS. 


385 


many  modifications  in  design,  and  have  been  imitated  from 
the  strongholds  made  by  the  natives  when  they  were  still 
masters  of  the  land.  The  principal  use  of  t  hese  structures  is 
to  afford  places  of  refuge  from  hostile  attack. 

Quite  in  keeping  with  the  fantastic  scenery  and  eccentric 
architecture  is  the  peculiarity  of  the  rock-rabbits  that  dwell 
among  the  crevices  of  the  gneiss.  Immediately  after  sunset, 
or  before  sunrise,  they  can  be  seen  everywhere,  squatting 
like  marmots  at  the  entrance  to  their  holes,  into  which,  at 
the  approach  of  danger,  they  dart  witli  wonderful  snorts  and 
grunts.  The  noise  they  make  has  caused  the  Nubians  to  bestow 
upon  them  the  general  name  of  kako."  There  is,  however,  a 
great  variety  of  species,  hardly  distinguishable  from  each 
other,  scattered  throughout  the  Nile  countries,  every  district 
seeming  to  present  its  own  special  representative  of  the  race. 
Not  only  are  they  found  in  the  mountains  of  Abyssinia  and 
of  Upper  Sennaar,  but  they  inhabit  those  isolated  mounds 
and  hills  which  give  its  peculiar  character  to  the  landscape 
in  Southern  Kordofan  and  the  province  of  Taka.  Again, 
they  appear  in  the  mountains  of  the  Bayooda  steppes,  and 
play  a  prominent  part  in  Southern  Africa ;  whilst  other  species 
are  found  in  Arabia,  in  the  Sinai  peninsula,  and  in  the  Syrian 
mountains.  Those  that  I  saw  in  Mvolo  nearly  correspond 
with  the  Abyssinian  species  depicted  by  Bruce.  They  appear 
to  feed  chiefly  on  the  bark  of  trees,  although  they  occasion- 
ally devour  young  shoots  and  grass. 

Abdoo,  the  controller  of  Mvolo,  was  half  a  naturalist :  as  a 
huntsman  he  had  done  service  under  many  Europeans,  and 
had  acquired  a  reputation  for  being  a  skilful  stuffer  of  birds. 
He  drew  my  particular  attention  to  the  good  sport  afforded 
by  the  rock-rabbits,  as  they  crept  about  in  tempting  proximity 
to  the  gate  of  the  Seriba.  At  the  same  time,  he  asked  if  I 
could  account  for  the  wonderful  way  in  which  the  animals 
managed  to  clamber  up  and  down  smooth  rocks  that  were 
almost  perpendicular. 


386 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


I  can't  tell,"  he  said,  *'  how  it  is,  but  when  you  have  shot 
one  of  the  creatures,  and  catch  hold  of  it,  it  sticks  to  the 
rock  with  its  feet,  in  its  death  struggles,  as  though  it  had 
grown  there." 

The  under  part  of  the  foot  is  dark  and  elastic  as  india-rubber, 
and  has  several  deeply-indented  cushions.*  This  arrange- 
ment, which  no  other  mammalia  or  warm-blooded  animals- 
seem  to  possess,  enables  the  creature,  by  opening  and  closing 
the  centre  cleft,  to  throw  off  part  of  its  weight  and  to  gain  a 
firm  hold  upon  the  smooth  surface  of  the  stone.  The  toes 
are  nothing  but  pads  of  horny  skin,  without  regular  nails, 
the  hind  foot  alone  being  furnished,  on  the  inner  toe,  with 
one  claw,  which  is  sharply  compressed.  For  some  time  I 
could  not  at  all  comprehend  how,  with  such  a  plump  foot, 
the  rock- rabbit  could  climb  so  safely  over  precipitous  walls  of 
granite,  or  even  along  the  polished  branches  of  the  little  trees 
in  the  ravines  ;  but  the  mystery  was  solved  when  I  tried  to 
pick  up  an  animal  which  I  myself  had  wounded.  The  granite 
was  as  smooth  as  pavement,  and  yet,  when  I  seized  the  crea- 
ture by  the  neck,  it  clung  like  birdlime  to  the  ground,  and 
required  some  force  before  it  could  be  removed. 

Although  many  other  sp6cies  of  rock-rabbits  or  rock- 
badgers  have  been  observed  by  scientific  travellers,  and 
although  the  animals  take  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  fauna 
of  Southern  Africa,  yet  I  have  never  come  across  any  mention 
of  this  interesting  circumstance.  My  observations  may  be 
discredited,  but  1  have  endeavoured  to  render  them  as  accu- 
rately as  possible,  in  the  hope  that  future  travellers  will  give 
further  attention  to  the  subject. 

The  largest  specimens  that  I  killed  were  females  with 
young,  and  they  measured  about  ten  inches  in  length.  They 
were  remarkably  like  wild  rabbits,  of  a  grey  tint ;  the  males 
being  much  lighter,  and  having  a  sharply-defined  white  stripe 


.  *  Bruce  (vol.  v.,  description  of  plate  24)  expressly  mentions  the  circumstance 
of  the  soft  fiesli  standing  up  high  on  both  sides  of  tlie  indentation. 


ANIMALS  AKOUND  MVOLO. 


387 


running  about  two  inches  along  the  middle  of  the  back. 
The  females  of  this  species  produce  two  perfectly-developed 
offspring  at  one  birth.  The  flesh  is  like  that  of  a  common 
rabbit,  and  quite  as  much  requires  an  artificial  dressing  to 
make  it  palatable. 

Other  interesting  animals  find  their  habitats  among  the 
rocks  of  Mvolo.  The  pretty  little  tan-coloured  squirrels 
(Sciurus  leucumbrinus),  with  two  white  stripes  on  either  side, 
of  a  kind  which  is  often  seen  on  the  steppes  of  Nubia,  are 
here  very  abundant.  ^Fhere  are  also  swarms  of  agamas, 
nodding  their  orange-coloured  heads;  the  movements  of 
these  creatures  are  anxiously  watched  by  the  rock-rabbits, 
which  first  utter  a  note  of  alarm,  and  then  retreat  as  nimbly 
as  marmots  to  their  holes,  from  which  they  never  venture  far 
away.  Not  unfrequently  have  I  waited  half-an-hour  before 
their  heads  have  appeared  again. 

The  inevitable  Guinea-fowl,  of  course,  was  to  be  found 
running  through  the  grass,  also  a  kind  of  francolin, 
the  cocks  with  tails  erect,  like  little  bantams.  As  my 
good  entertainment  in  the  Seriba  made  me  independent 
of  the  chase  for  my  sustenance,  I  only  killed  a  few  speci- 
mens of  this  pretty  bird.  Francolins,  which  abound  in 
other  parts  of  Africa,  are  very  rare  throughout  the  district 
of  the  Gazelle.  On  the  third  day  after  my  arrival  in  Mvolo, 
I  was  once  more  on  my  feet  and  able  to  take  an  excur- 
sion to  some  rapids  about  half  a  league  to  the  north-east. 
The  river  divides  into  three  branches,  and  rushes  impetu- 
ously over  a  bed  chequered  with  blocks  of  granite.  Two  of 
the  larger  islands  were  covered  with  dense  bush- woods,  and  a 
charming  hedge  of  borassus-palm  lined  the  banks.  The 
main  stream  passes  in  equal  parts  through  the  northern  and 
southern  arms.  The  first  of  these  forms  a  precipitous  fall  of 
fifty  feet,  and,  wildly  foaming,  dashes  into  the  hollow  among 
the  rocks — the  entire  descent  of  the  river  at  these  rapids 
being  at  least  a  hundred  feet.     The  river  makes  a  bend 


388 


THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 


round  the  Seriba,  and  a  quarter  of  a  league  to  the  east,  above 
the  falls,  it  is  once  more  flowing  in  its  ordinary  bed,  which  is 
a  hundred  feet  wide.  The  smooth  blocks  of  stone  were  as 
clean  as  marble,  and  the  w^ater  between  was  as  clear  as  crystal ; 
the  fan-palms  and  luxuriant  bushes  spread  a  cooling  shade 
over  the  pools,  and  everything  conspired  to  form  a  spot  that 
might  be  consecrated  to  the  wood-nymphs  and  to  the  deities 
of  the  streams.  It  was  a  place  most  tempting  for  a  bath — a 
pleasure  from  which  I  had  been  long  debarred.  The  noxious 
properties  of  the  waters  which  I  had  hitherto  visited,  as  well 
as  the  dread  of  fever,  bad  obliged  me  to  forego  all  such 
pastimes;  but  now  I  thought  I  might  indulge  without  fear  of 
evil  consequences.  Fish  are  here  so  abundant,  that  whoever 
bathes  is  liable  to  find  himself  molested  by  their  bites. 

I  rambled  about  the  woods  on  the  slopes  of  the  opposite 
valley,  and  made  many  an  interesting  discovery.  In  great 
luxuriance  grew  a  remarkable  cucumber  (  Cucumis  Tinneanus), 
which  is  covered  by  curious  and  long  appendages.  Through- 
out the  district  of  Mvolo  a  shrub,  which  has  already  been 
naturalised  in  our  conservatories  under  the  name  of  Tinnea 
mthiopica,  is  particularly  plentiful ;  its  wood  is  used  by  the 
Nubians  for  pipe-stems.  Its  boughs,  like  those  of  the  weep- 
ing-willow, trail  to  the  ground.  I  gazed  with  silent  emotion 
on  a  plant  which  seemed  to  mourn  the  fate  of  the  brave 
traveller  by  whom,  with  her  tender  appreciation  of  the  beau- 
ties of  nature,  it  had  formerly  been  delineated. 

At  a  short  distance  to  the  north  was  pointed  out  to  me  the 
village  of  Dugwara,  where  the  natives,  as  we  could  hear, 
were  performing  on  their  nogara. 

I  had  now  reached  a  point  at  which  my  route,  for  the  first 
time  since  I  left  the  Meshera  of  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal,  came  in 
contact  with  localities  whose  position  is  pretty  well  determined. 
Mvolo  itself  had  never  been  actually  visited  by  its  former 
owners,  but  in  1859  Jules  Poncet,  during  the  course  of  his  ex- 
tensive elephant  hunts,  had  crossed  the  Kohl  somewhere  below 


DUGWAKA. 


389 


this  spot.*  The  route  of  the  British  Consul,  J.  Petherick, 
in  1863,  lay  along  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Kohl,  and 
through  Dugwara.  My  own  surveys,  corresponding  as  they 
did  with  other  routes  which  had  preceded  my  own,  offered 
very  satisfactory  results ;  they  agreed  very  accurately  in 
.establishing  the  position  which  had  been  assigned  to  the 
Meshera  on  Arrowsmith's  niapf  of  Petherick's  travels  between 
1858  and  1863,  so  that  I  had  occasion  hardly  at  all  to  shift 
the  geographical  position  of  Dugwara.  On  all  earlier  maps 
the  Meshera  was  invariably  marked  too  far  to  the  west,  and 
the  Gazelle  was  carried  half  a  degree  beyond  its  actual  length. 
The  time  I  occupied,  both  on  my  outward  and  homeward 
journey,  in  the  navigation  of  the  river,  allowed  me  ample 
opportunity  to  verify  the  correctness  of  these  calculations  of 
my  own.  I  do  not  know  what  materials  Arrow^smith  had  at 
command  to  authorize  him  in  making  the  fortunate  amend- 
ment ;  Petherick  certainly  did  not  agree  with  the  alterations, 
and,  according  to  his  computation,  the  longitude  of  this 
section  of  his  route  on  the  Eohl  would  have  been  twenty 
miles  further  eastwards  than  on  Arrowsmith's  map — a  posi- 
tion which,  for  various  reasons,  must  be  improbable. 

I  had  to  undergo  many  little  discomforts  before  leaving 
this  interesting  region.  The  black  soldiers  and  slaves  belong- 
ing to  the  Seriba  thought  that,  because  I  was  a  white  man,  I 
must  be  the  actual  brother  of  the  owner,  and  accordingly 
they  came  to  me  with  all  kinds  of  grievances.  Contrary  to 
the  Controller's  orders,  a  number  of  Mam-niam  soldiers  insisted 
on  following  me  everywhere,  and  I  was  obliged  to  remon- 
strate with  them  rather  sharply,  to  make  them  understand 
that  I  could  not  permit  them  to  join  my  people,  and  that  my 
retinue  was  large  enough  already.   The  female  slaves  betook 

*  'Le  Fleuve  Blanc  :  Notes  geographiques  de  Jules  Poneet,'  is  the  best  publi- 
cation on  the  White  Nile  that  I  know.  It  gives  reliable  details  of  J.  Poncet's 
interesting  journey,  and  specifies  many  characteristics,  founded  on  some 
years'  experience,  of  the  different  people  of  the  district. 

t  Journal  R.  G.  S.,  vol.  xxxv. 


390 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


themselves  for  refuge  to  my  hut,  bringing  their  complaints 
of  the  rough  usage  they  received  from  their  angry  owners,  but 
which  it  was  only  too  probable  they  deserved  for  their  faith- 
lessness. The  Nubians,  on  their  part,  were  loud  in  demand- 
ing judgment  from  me  as  to  their  claims  on  some  or  other 
of  these  runaway  women.  I  can  only  say  that  I  was  very 
glad  to  make  my  escape,  and  to  find  myself  afresh  upon  my 
journey  to  the  west.  I  was  accompanied  by  a  small  herd  of 
cows,  calves,  and  sheep — a  present  from  the  controller,  who, 
moreover,  forced  an  excellent  donkey  upon  my  acceptance. 

After  a  stiff  march  of  seven  leagues  and  a-half,  through  a 
district  with  few  watering-places,  and  little  interest  beyond 
occasional  clumps  of  the  lofty  kobbo-tree,*  we  were  once  more 
in  the  territory  of  the  Mittoo,  and  had  reached  one  of  Poncet's 
smaller  Seribas,  called  Legby.  There  was  a  second  Seriba, 
named  Nyoli,  about  three  leagues  to  the  south-east,  which  1 
did  not  visit,  as  its  inhabitants  were  all  busied  with  a-  grand 
hattue  for  elands.  These  Seribas  in  the  Mittoo  country  had  only 
been  founded  in  the  previous  year — they  were  on  the  direct 
road  to  the  Monbuttoo,  and  had  been  intentionally  pushed 
forward  towards  the  territory  of  the  Madi,  in  order  to  ensure 
advantageous  quarters  for  elephant-hunting.  The  greater 
part  of  this  region,  which  previously  had  been  a  sort  of 
No-man's-land,  had  been  recently  appropriated  to  himself  by 
a  successful  coup  of  the  enterprising  Aboo  Sammat.  From 
Legby  to  Ngahma  was  another  five  and  one-third  leagues. 
The  road  descended,  in  a  W.N.VV.  direction,  straight  down 
to  the  Wohko,  which  we  now  crossed  for  the  fourth  time.  We 
had  also  to  ford  two  other  of  the  rivulets  that  traverse  .the 
country,  which  is  a  good  deal  broken  by  hills  and  eminences. 
The  ground  had  been  quite  cleared  by  the  burning  of  the 
steppe,  and  although  there  had  been  no  rain,  a  number  of 


*  A  new  species  of  Humholdtia  which  unites  the  characteristics  of  tlie 
Bcrlinia  with  those  of  the  Crudija. 


1 


THE  EIVER  WOHKO. 


391 


perennial  plants  were  sprouting  up  and  covering  the  bare 
surface  of  the  soil  with  their  variegated  bloom.  Many 
of  the  trees,  such  as  the  Comhreta  and  Butyrosperma,  of 
which  the  flowers  appear  before  the  foliage,  were  in  full 
blossom.  Two  especially  attracted  ray  attention,  because 
they  entirely  fail  in  more  northern  regions — these  were  the 
Xeroj)etalum,  with  its  beautiful  bright-red  flowers,  not  unlike 
mallows,  and  the  Stereospermum,  which  bore  grotesque 
bunches  of  bloom,  resembling  red  thimbles.  They  were 
both  in  their  full  beauty,  and  to  some  extent  reminded  me 
of  the  floral  luxuriance  of  the  Abyssinian  highlands. 

While  in  Ngahma,  I  heard  that  Aboo  Sammat,  with  his 
entire  fighting  force,  had  withdrawn  from  Sabby,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  inspecting  his  numerous  Seribas  in  the  south.  It 
was  his  first  year  of  possession,  and  he  had  gone  to  feel  his 
way,  preparatory  to  the  taxation  of  the  country.  Meanwhile, 
all  provisions  had  been  exhausted  in  Sabby,  and  if  I  had 
ventured  to  return  thither,  it  would  have  been  at  the  risk  of 
being  starved.  I  therefore  myself  resolved  to  pursue  my 
course  in  a  southerly  direction,  in  order  to  cast  in  my  lot 
with  Aboo  Sammat,  until  the  time  drew  near  for  our  expedi- 
tion to  the  Niam-niam  country.  The  first  halting-place  at 
which  we  arrived,  after  a  march  of  seven  leagues,  was  the 
little  Seriba  Karo,  in  the  Madi  district.  The  road  passed 
to  the  S.S.E.  by  a  small  mound  of  granite,  of  which  the 
sterile  flats  were  inhabited  by  rock-rabbits ;  we  then  advanced 
over  granite  flats  until  we  reached  a  spot  where  an  extensive 
table-land  lay  open  to  the  south.  Once  again  we  crossed  the 
Wohko,  and  proceeded  along  its  right  bank.  The  river  here 
has  all  the  characteristics  of  a  periodical  stream,  and  was  now 
standing  in  lagoon-like  basins.  The  width  of  the  stony  bed, 
and  the  deep  holes  washed  in  the  huge  blocks  of  granite, 
which  are  covered  to  a  considerable  height  with  the  mossy 
Fodostemmonea,  are  proofs  of  the  abundance  and  violence  of 
the  w^ter  in  the  height  of  the  rainy  season.  Looking 


392 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFEICA. 


W.S.W.,  I  was  greatly  surprised  by  the  unexpected  sight  of 
some  elevated  rocky  peaks.  Amongst  them,  and  about  four 
leagues  distant,  was  the  point  called  Wohba,  near  Deraggo, 
which  I  afterwards  visited.  This  isolated  range  extends  as 
far  as  the  Wohko,  and  there  terminates  in  a  ridge  80  to 
100  feet  in  height.  Near  Karo  the  stream  forms  a  defile 
40  to  50  feet  deep,  enclosed  by  regular  hills.  The  banks, 
which  were  very  steep,  were  concealed  by  the  impenetrable 
shade  of  magnificent  trees  (Hexalohus),  reminding  me  very 
much  of  the  true  chestnut. 

The  Mittoo  display  a  remarkable  talent  for  music,  and 
construct  a  great  variety  of  instruments.  The  most  impor- 
tant of  these  is  a  lyre  with  a  sounding-board,  not  unlike  the 
^robaba  used  by  the  people  of  Nubia.  The  soldiers  in  all 
the  Seribas  manifest  their  African  origin  by  the  zeal  with 
which  in  their  leisure  they  practise  the  musical  art.  I 
noticed  one  of  the  Madi  with  a  bamboo  flute  of  quite  an 
European  pattern,  and  at  my  request  he  played  what  was 
really  a  very  pretty  air,  which  must  have  cost  him  consider- 
able time  and  trouble  to  learn,  so  perfect  were  the  separate 
modulations :  when  the  Nubians  heard  him  they  paid  him 
the  compliment  of  saying  that  he  played  as  well  as  any  Frank 
musician  in  Alexandria. 

From  Karo  I  went  on  still  southwards  for  three  leagues  to 
Reggo,  another  small  Seriba  belonging  to  Poncet's  company, 
and  where  the  elephant-hunters  were  quartered.  The  road 
thither  led  chiefly  through  cultivated  fields  that  had  been 
planted  with  Penicillaria.  I  also  for  the  first  time  observed 
the  culture  of  the  sweet  potato  (Batatas),  a  favourite  food 
of  the  Niam-niam.  This  had  a  singularly  sweet  taste,  and  a 
purplish  rind,  which  occasionally  deviated  into  white ;  the 
largest  tubers  of  this  in  the  Madi  country  never  exceed  the 
thickness  of  a  finger. 

The  Poncets  had  founded  settlements  in  this  part  of  the 
country  in  order  to  hold  their  own  against  the  wide  incur- 


EECE.NT  SCAECITY  OF  ELEPHANTS. 


393 


sions  which  Aboo  8ammat  was  making  from  his  territory  in 
the  same  direction.  The  company  laid  claim  to  the  sole 
right  of  ranging  the  district,  a  demand  which  was  only  con- 
sistent with  their  original  interest  in  the  ivory  produce.  The 
hunters  are  called  "  Sayadeen,"  because  they  are  armed  with 
huge  rifles,  which  have  been  gradually  introduced  into  the 
country  from  Khartoom.  Only  a  few  days  previously  they 
had  killed  two  elephants,  which  represented  a  whole  year's 
success.  In  former  years  the  Poncets  had  commanded  the 
expeditions  in  person,  and  then  a  corps  of  these  hunters 
would  in  a  single  year  secure  as  much  ivory  as  would  equal 
the  largest  quantity  now  gathered  from  the  aggregate  of  the 
Niam-niam  lands.  Althougli  the  period  of  which  I  speak  wa6 
not  more  than  fourteen  years  ago,  these  large  collections 
have  become  completely  things  of  the  past.  In  the  present 
Seriba  district,  it  is  now  expected  to  make  a  journey  of  some 
days  before  there  is  any  likelihood  of  catching  sight  of  an 
elephant  at  all ;  the  wary  beasts,  too,  appear  instinctively  to 
know  the  regions  in  which  they  can  be  safe.  They  live  to  a 
great  age,  and  I  do  not  doubt  but  that  all  the  oldest  repre- 
sentatives of  the  elephant  community  have  been  at  some 
time  or  other  attacked  by  man,  and  that  many  have  been 
actually  under  fire.  In  the  Dinka  country  there  are  places 
such  as  I  have  already  mentioned,  in  the  woods  of  the  Al- 
wady  tribe,  where  elephants  may  be  seen  during  the  rainy 
season.  When  I  asked  the  Khartoomers  why  they  did  not  go 
and  get  the  ivory  themselves,  they  always  replied  that  such 
hunting  would  be  a  sorry  failure,  and  that  while  they  were 
shooting  the  elephants  the  natives  would  be  shooting  tliem. 

In  Keggo  the  soldiers  were  fond  of  breeding  dogs,  and  the 
Seriba  literally  swarmed  with  the  fat  pups  of  the  Niam-niam 
breed.  I  found,  moreover,  that  the  people  managed  to  do  a 
little  quiet  business  for  themselves  by  bartering  dogs  for 
slaves  to  the  Mittoo.  Dog's  flesh,  too,  they  enjoyed  as  much 
as  the  Niam-niam,  and  the  price  given  for  an  animal  affords 


394 


rHE  HEAKT  OF  AFEICA. 


a  proof  of  the  relish  they  have  for  the  "dainty  ;  the  teeth 
form  a  favourite  ornament  for  necklaces  and  stomachers. 

The  first  of  January,  1870,  appeared,  beginning  a  new 
link  in  the  unbroken  chain  of  time.  It  was  the  second  New 
Year  that  I  had  commenced  in  Central  Africa,  and  although 
for  me  the  day  passed  quietly  and  with  no  rejoicing,  yet  I 

was  filled  with  thoughts  of 
gratitude  that  I  had  been 
spared  so  long.  Although 
one  cloud  and  another  might 
appear  to  loom  in  the  un- 
certain iuture,  yet  the  con- 
fidence 1  felt  in  my  acclima- 
tisation enabled  me  with 
good  courage  to  proceed 
upon  my  wanderings. 

The  next  plabe  that  we 
reached  was  Kurragera,  the 
most  southern  point  of  Aboo 
8ammat's  newly  -  acquired 
territory.  The  march  had 
occupied  about  five  hours, 
and  on  our  way  we  had  for 
the  sixth  time  crossed  the 
Wohko.  Previously  we  had 
halted  in  the  village  of  one 
of  the  Madi  elders,  who  bore 
the  melodious  name  of  Kaf- 
fulukkoo ;  I  had  also  the 
honour  of  an  introduction 
to  another  chief,  called  Gog- 
go,  of  whom  I  was  able  to 
secure  a  portrait.  His  imposing  peruke  was  not  of  his  own 
hair,  nor  indeed  was  it  hair  at  all,  but  consisted  of  an 
artificial  tissue  of  woven  threads,  which  were  soaked  with 
yellow  ochre  and  reeking  with  grease. 


Goggo,  a  Mittoo-Madi  Chief. 


KURRAGERA. 


395 


Kurragera's  Seriba,  like  Aboo  Sammat's  other  settlements, 
had  been  entirely  cleared  of  its  soldiers,  and  only  the  local 
overseer  of  the  Madi  remained  to  look  after  the  corn-stores. 
Inside  the  palisade  were  piled  thousands  of  the  bearers'  loads, 
each  neatly  packed  into  a  circular  bundle,  and  protected  by 
the  simple  and  effectual  coverings  made  by  the  natives  from 
leaves  and  straw.  These  packages  contained  a  preliminary 
portion  of  the  corn-stores.  Almost  every  product  of  the  soil 
that  I  have  described  in  Chapter  VI.  was  here  to  be  seen, 
and  in  addition  were  the  sweet  potatoes  cultivated  by  the 
Madi. 

Aboo  Sammat  at  this  time,  with  his  whole  available  fight- 
ing force,  was  encamped  on  the  Wohko  about  three  leagues 
to  the  south.  With  the  help  of  250  soldiers,  and  more  than 
300  Bongo  and  Mittoo  bearers,  he  had  put  the  entire  country 
in  the  south  and  south-east,  from  beyond  the  Kohl  nearly 
as  far  as  the  frontiers  of  the  so-called  Makkarakkah,  under 
contribution.  The  tribes  in  the  more  immediate  neighbour- 
hood were  the  Madi-Kaya,  the  Abbakah,  and  Loobah,  which 
manifestly  occupied  the  same  district  to  which,  in  1863, 
Petherick's  agent  Awat  made  an  expedition.  Many  chiefs 
submitted  voluntarily  to  the  taxation ;  others  remained  hos- 
tile for  a  period,  but  afterwards  surrendered  all  their  stores 
to  the  enemy  d  discretion.  The  region  was  so  productive 
that  the  number  of  bearers  did  not  nearly  suffice  to  carry 
away  the  goods  that  had  been  seized.  The  enterprise  was 
accomplished  without  any  loss  of  blood. 

I  was  compelled  .to  stay  for  some  days  in  Kurragera  to 
await  Aboo  Sammat's  return,  and  began  to  get  somewhat 
weary,  as  amongst  the  flora  I  could  find  little  that  was  suit- 
able for  my  collection  ;  I  had  besides  used  up  all  the  pencils 
I  had  brought  with  me,  and  was  obliged  to  write  with  hen's 
blood.  Meanwhile,  as  in  Awoory  and  Ngahma,  I  continued 
my  study  of  the  Mittoo  longuage,  and  took  a  great  deal 
of  pains  to  unravel  the  intricacies  of  the  Madi  method  of 

Vol.  I.— 28 


396  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA 

counting,  to  which  I  shall  have  another  occasion  to  reftr 
hereafter. 

The  butter-trees  were  now  in  full  bloom.  The  milky  juice 
that  exudes  from  the  stems  of  these  trees  reminds  one  of 
gutta-percha,  which  is  a  secretion  of  a  species  of  the  same 
order  of  plants  (Sapotaced3).  I  often  saw  the  children  making 
balls  with  the  lumps  of  caoutchouc,  which  served  as  universal 
playthings.  In  1861,  Franz  Binder,  the  Transylvanian, 
formerly  a  merchant  in  Khartoom,  brought  a  hundredweight 
of  this  india-rubber  to  Vienna,  but  although  the  material 
turned  out  very  well  in  a  technical  point  of  view,  the  cost  ot 
its  transport  w^as  too  great  for  it  ever  to  become  an  important 
article  in  the  commerce  of  these  lands. 

On  the  7th  of  January,  Aboo  Sammat,  with  the  greater 
number  of  his  soldiers  and  bearers,  returned  to  the  Seriba. 
He  wished  to  display  his  authority  in  a  way  that  should 
make  an  impression  upon  me,  and  therefore  set  apart  an 
entire  day  for  festivities  on  a  large  scale.  His  people  were 
divided  according  to  their  tribes  into  groups  of  500,  and 
each  of  these  had  to  execute  war-dances  worthy  of  their 
commander.  Aboo  Sammat  himself  seemed  ubiquitous ;  in  a 
way  that  no  other  Nubian  would  have  done  without  fancying 
himself  degraded,  he  arrayed  himself  like  a  savage,  and  at 
one  time  with  lance  and  shield,  at  another  with  bow  and 
arrow,  danced  indefatigably  at  intervals  from  morning  till 
night  at  the  head  of  the  several  groups ;  he  was  a  veritable 
Nyare-Goio,  i.e.,  master  of  the  ceremonies;  here  he  was 
dancing  as  a  Bongo,  there  as  a  Mittoo ;  then  he  appeared  in 
the  coloured  skin  apron  of  the  Niam-niam,  and  next  in  the 
costume  of  a  Monbuttoo :  he  was  at  home  everywhere,  and 
had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  all  the  necessary  changes  of 
apparel.  Several  of  the  Bongo  of  Sabby  exhibited  a  talent 
for  theatrical  representations,  and  to  the  great  delight  of  the 
Nubians  they  enacted  the  scene  of  how  Aboo  Sammat  sur- 
prised and  thrashed  the  Mukhtar  Shereefee  ;  they  improvised 


SPEECH  OF  THE  KENOOSIAN. 


397 


a  recitative  accompanied  by  corresponding  action,  the  purport 
of  which  was  to  tell  how  Mukhtar  was  hit  with  a  stick,  and 
tumbled  into  the  straw  hedge  crying  like  a  Deloo-buck, 
"  ba  mi  oah  !  "  (alas !  alas !).  Then  followed  the  refrain,  "  Ma- 
drislalla,  illalla,  illalla."  Between  the  parts  there  was  an 
intjessant  firing ;  the  guns  were  loaded  with  whole  handfuls 
of  powder,  so  that  it  was  several  minutes  before  the  clouds 
of  smoke  rolled  away  from  the  groups  of  dancers.  The  con- 
tinual noise  and  dust  tired  me  far  more  than  the  longest 
day's  march  I  had  ever  undertaken. 

On  the  following  day  the  Kenoosian  convoked  an  assembly 
of  the  newly-subjugated  chiefs  of  the  Madi,  and  in  a  long 
speech  impressed  upon  them  their  obligations.  I  was  a 
witness  of  the  characteristic  scene,  and  as  the  interpreter 
freely  translated  sentence  by  sentence  to  the  negroes,  I  did 
not  lose  a  word  of  Mohammed's  oration.  With  terrible 
threats  and  imprecations  he  began  by  depicting  in  the 
blackest  colours  the  frightful  punishments  that  awaited  them 
if  they  should  disobey  his  orders,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
plumed  himself  upon  his  magnanimity. 

"  Look  you !  "  he  said  ;  "  I  don't  want  your  wives  and  chil- 
dren, nor  do  I  intend  to  take  your  corn,  but  you  must  attend 
to  the  transport  of  my  provisions ;  and  I  insist  that  there 
shall  be  no  delay,  or  else  the  people  in  the*  Seriba  will 
starve.  You,  Kuraggera,  must  go  to  your  villages,  and 
gather  together  old  and  young,  men  and  women :  get  all  the 
boys  who  can  carry  anything,  and  all  the  girls  who  bring 
water  from  the  brook,  and  you  must  order  them  one  and  all 
to  be  here  early  to-morrow ;  every  one  of  them  will  have  to 
convey  the  corn  to  Deraggo ;  the  bales  are  of  all  sizes,  and 
each  may  carry  in  proportion  to  his  strength.  But  mark 
you  this :  if  one  of  the  bearers  runs  away,  or  if  he  throws 
down  his  load,  I  will  tear  out  your  eyes ;  or  if  a  package  is 
stolen,  I  will  have  your  head."  And  here  Mohammed  lifted 
a  huge  weapon  like  the  sword  of  an  ancient  German  knight. 


398 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


and  brandished  it  rapidly  over  the  head  of  the  Madi  chief- 
tain. Then  turning  to  another,  he  proceeded :  "  And  I  have 
something  to  say  to  you,  Kaffuhikkoo  ;  I  know  that  Poncet's 
people  have  been  here  lately,  and  have  carried  off  two  ele- 
phants ;  now  how  did  they  contrive  to  find  them  ?  Bribed 
you  vrere,  bribed  so  that  you  sent  messengers  to  inform  them 
where  the  elephants  might  be  found.  And  you,  Goggo,  why 
do  you  permit  such  proceedings  in  your  district?  Now 
listen:  if  Poncet's  people  come  back,  you  must  shoot  them; 
this  must  not  happen  again,  or  you  shall  pay  for  it  with  your 
life  ;  and  if  any  one  of  you  takes  ivory  to  a  strange  Seriba,  I 
will  have  him  burnt  alive.  Now,  I  think  you  understand 
pretty  well  what  you  ought  to  do.  But  I  have  something 
else  to  say,  just  to  caution  you  in  case  you  may  have  any 
intention  of  injuring  my  people.  Perhaps,  as  a  Turk  may  be 
walking  alone,  the  negroes  may  creep  into  the  grass,  and 
shoot  him  with  their  arrows  :  what  of  that  ?  Kats  may  bury 
themselves  in  the  ground,  and  frogs  and  crabs  may  hide  in 
their  holes,  but  there  is  a  way,  you  know,  to  find  them  out ; 
snakes  may  creep  about  in  the  straw,  but  to  that  we  can  set 
fire.  Or,  perhaps,  you  will  try  to  burn  the  steppes  over  our 
heads :  never  mind,  I  can  light  a  fire  too,  and  you  shall  pay 
dearly  for  your  treachery.  Do  as  you  did  before,  and  run 
away  to  tho  caves  at  Deraggo,  and  I  will  shoot  you  there  with 
shitata  (cayenne  pepper)  from  my  elephant  rifle,  and  you  will 
soon  be  glad  enough,  half  choked  and  stupefied,  to  come  out 
again  and  beg  for  mercy.  Or,  supposing  the  negroes  try  and 
poison  the  shallow  khor,  and  any  Turks  drink  that  water 
and  die — don't  be  expecting  to  fly  away  like  birds,  or  to 
escape  my  vengeance !  "  And  much  more  there  was  in  the 
same  strain. 

I  had  sent  my  cattle  from  Ngahma  direct  to  Sabby,  and, 
after  laying  in  a  sufficient  stock  of  provisions,  I  prepared  to 
return  as  soon  as  I  could  to  my  head-quarters,  in  order  to 
have  time  to  complete  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the 


DEKAGGO. 


399 


campaign  in  the  Niam-*niam  countries.  Before  leaving 
Kiirragera,  I  witnessed  another  amusing  scene  in  Aboo 
Sammat's  endeavours  to  make  the  chiefs  understand  the 
number  of  bearers  he  required.  Like  most  other  people  of 
Africa,  the  Madi  can  only  count  up  to  ten,  everything  above 
that  number  having  to  be  denominated  by  gestures.  At  last 
some  bundles  of  reeds  were  tied  together  in  tens,  and  then 
the  negro,  although  he  could  not  express  the  number,  com- 
prehended perfectly  what  was  required  of  him.  Kurragera 
was  obliged  to  furnish  1530  bearers,  and  being  asked  whether 
he  understood,  made  an  affirmative  gesture,  took  the  immense 
bundle  of  reeds  under  his  arm,  and  walked  off  gravely  to  his 
village.  We  moved  on  through  the  day  in  company  with  an 
enormous  train  of  2000  bearers  of  both  sexes  and  of  every 
age.  Keeping  on  continually  in  a  northerly  direction,  after 
a  march  of  eight  leagues  we  reached  the  Seriba  X)eraggo. 
The  Deraggo  mountains  were  visible  several  leagues  distant 
to  the  north,  and  afforded  some  desirable  stations  for  verify- 
ing my  route.  By  the  side  of  one  of  the  Koah  tributaries, 
called  Gooloo,  which,  however,  we  did  not  cross,  we  halted 
for  a  while,  and  I  employed  the  interval  in  shooting  guinea- 
fowl,  ordinary  poultry  in  this  district  being  somewhat  scarce. 

For  the  first  time  since  I  had  quitted  Egypt,  I  spent  the 
night  in  Dei'aggo  without  my  bedding  :  the  servant  who  had 
the  charge  of  it  had  left  it  behind  in  Kurragera.  On  all  my 
tours,  I  never  failed  in  being  extremely  careful  not  to  omit 
anything  that  without  material  expense  could  contribute  to 
my  health  and  comfort.  I  had  learnt  enough  to  know  that 
the  more  the  traveller  contrives  to  spare  himself  exhaustion 
from  fatigue,  the  more  he  will  be  able  ultimately  to  perform,, 
and  the  greater  will  be  his  security  against  the  baneful  influ- 
ences of  the  climate.  A  perfect,  or  even  reliable,  acclimati- 
sation is  not  to  be  thought  of  until  after  some  years'  experi- 
ence, and  any  attempt  to  hasten  it  by  rash  exposure,  or  b} 
unnecessary  hardship,  is  quite  unavailing. 


400 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


I  spent  one  day  in  a  visit  to  the  neighbouring  mountains, 
which,  lying  about  a  league  to  the  east  of  the  Seriba, 
extended  for  about  three  leagues  to  the  north-east.  The 
loftiest  and  most  southerly  peak  is  called  Wohba,  and  is 
about  500  feet  high :  it  contains  some  remarkable  caves, 
which  I  had  not  time  to  visit ;  they  were  the  same  referred 
to  by  Aboo  Sammat  when  he  threatened  to  drive  out  the 
Madi  with  pepper-dust,  a  hint  which  might  be  taken  by  any 
future  general  who  may  desire  to  smoke  out  the  unhappy 
Bedouins  from  the  caves  of  Algeria.  I  contented  myself  with 
mounting  an  eminence  about  300  feet  high,  called  Yongah. 
The  western  horizon  and  the  mountains  of  Awoory  were  unfor- 
tunately obscured  by  a  dense  smoke  from  the  burning  of  the 
steppe  ;  but  the  little  hills  between  Ngahma  and  Karo  were 
distinctly  visible.  I  also  noticed  in  the  W.S.W.  a  mountain 
known  as  Gere,  which  I  afterwards  saw  again  when  returning 
from  the  Niam-niam  countries,  as  I  was  passing  along  the 
basin  of  the  Lehssy.  The  chain  of  Deraggo  is  formed  of  a 
bright-coloured  gneiss.  A  valley  broke  in  near  the  spot 
which  I  explored,  and  along  the  entrance  the  Madi  had  dug 
,  a  row  of  pits  forty  feet  deep  for  the  purpose  of  catching  ele- 
phants. Hither,  from  a  wide  circuit,  they  hunt  the  animals, 
which,  hastily  rushing  into  the  valley,  fall  headlong  into 
the  trenches  which  have  been  artfully  concealed. 

The  Seriba  Deraggo  was  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  a 
valley  gently  sloping  towards  the  mt)untains.  From  the 
depth  of  this  depression  there  issued  an  important  brook, 
whose  bed  at  this  season  contained  a  series  of  huge  pools. 
We  now  again  turned  westwards  towards  the  Koah,  in  order 
that  I  might  visit  Kuddoo,  the  last  of  Aboo  Sammat's 
Seribas,  which  lies  exactly  south  of  Dokkuttoo,  and  thirty 
miles  higher  up  the  river.  We  were  obliged  to  make  a  wide 
detour  to  avoid  the  mountains,  and,  after  a  stiff  march  for 
five  leagues  in  a  W.N.W.  direction,  we  at  length  reached  our 
destination. 


THE  RIVER  ROAH. 


401 


The  Roah  flows  close  by  Kuddoo  in  a  deep  basin  enclosed 
with  forest,  and  describes  a  semicircle  about  the  Seriba.  The 
river  was  now  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  wide ;  in  the  rainy 
reason  it  is  as  much  as  fifteen  feet  deep,  whilst  in  the  winter 
its  depth  rarely  exceeds  four  or  five  feet.  The  channel  of 
the  river  was  here  entirely  overarched  with  verdure ;  in  some 
places  the  lofty  trees  starting  from  the  dense  woods  met 
across  the  water,  and  formed  bowers  of  foliage,  whilst  the 
fallen  stems  below  made  natural  bridges.  Very  feeble  were 
the  rays  of  light  that  penetrated  to  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  the  long  creepers  trailed  from  the  overhanging  branches. 
The  force  of  the  current  caught  the  pendants,  and  made  the 
tree-tops  bend  and  the  leaves  all  rustle  as  though  moved  by 
the  hands  of  spirits.  Large  monkeys  found  congenial  habi- 
tation in  the  branches,  the  river  vegetation  offering  many  of 
the  fruits  on  which  they  can  subsist.  At  times  the  beauty 
and  abundance  of  the  blossoms  surpassed  anything  that  I  had 
seen.  Pre-eminent  in  splendour  were  the  brilliant  Com- 
hreta:  the  masses  of  bloom  gleamed  like  torches  amid  the 
dark  green  of  the  thickets,  whilst  the  golden  sheen  of  the 
fruit  intensified  the  •  marked  contrast  of  the  tints.  Any 
attempt  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the  beauties  of  Africa 
is  entirely  unavailing,  and  once  again  I  refrain  from  wearying 
the  reader  with  any  further  repetition  of  my  admiration. 

Leaving  Kuddoo,  we  marched  for  eight  leagues  near  the 
left  bank  of  the  Roah,  and  across  the  numerous  little  water- 
courses that  intersect  the  regiouj  and  flow  down  to  the  river 
on  the  right.  At  Degbe  we  re-entered  the  road  along  which 
we  had  travelled  on  our  outward  trip,  and,  passing  through 
Dokkuttoo,  we  did  not  again  quit  our  previous  route  all  the 
way  to  Sabby.  As  we  approached  Geegyee,  the  spot  noto- 
rious for  the  rapacity  of  the  lion,  my  people  betrayed  an 
anxiety  still  greater  than  upon  their  journey  thither,  for  in 
Dokkuttoo  the  intelligence  had  reached  us  that  some  lions 
had  been  again  seen  on  the  previous  day,  and  that  several 


402 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


travellers  who  had  come  across  them  in  their  march  had  only 
escaped  by  climbing  up  into  the  trees.  This  was  a  circum- 
stance that  painted  itself  upon  my  fancy  in  such  entertaining 
details,  that  I  could  not  resist  the  desire  to  see  it  acted  out 
for  my  own  amusement.  Accordingly,  when  we  had  reached 
the  densest  part  of  the  formidable  forest,  at  a  spot  where  the 
pathways  were  most  crooked  and  intricate,  I  bellowed  out  in 
the  most  despairing  accents  I  could  command,  the  cry  of 
"  A  lion  !  a  lion  !  "  In  an  instant  the  bearers  had  flung 
down  their  burdens,  and  my  brave  Nubians  scampered  off  to 
the  nearest  tree.  Nimbly  as  sailors  up  the  rigging  of  a 
foundering  ship,  did  they  clamber  high  into  the  boughs.  I 
enjoyed  my  laugh  as  I  made  them  see  what  brave  fellows 
they  were. 

We  here  saw  in  all  directions  the  recent  traces  of  numbers 
of  elephants,  which  must  have  crossed  our  path  in  many 
places  during  the  previous  night.  Our  last  bivouac  was 
made  on  the  banks  of  the  Tudyee,  where  we  feasted  on  the 
flesh  of  two  hartebeests,  brought  down  fronii  among  a  num- 
ber that  had  been  feeding  on  the  tender  foliage  of  the  under- 
wood. On  the  last  day  but  one  of  the  march,  I  had  more 
exertion  than  on  any  other  of  the  twenty-four  through  which 
the  excursion  had  lasted  ;  without  once  sitting  down,  I  passed 
the  entire  day  in  hunting  and  walking. 

On  the  15th  of  January  I  once  more  re-entered  the  hospi- 
table huts  of  Sabby,  and  was  welcomed  by  the  servants  I  had 
left  behind,  and  almost  overpowered  by  the  joyful  caresses  of 
my  dogs.  This  tour  to  the  east  had  altogether  extended 
over  210  miles,  and  I  had  thoroughly  explored  the  territory 
of  a  people  who  had  hitherto  been  almost  unknown,  even  by 
name.  I  will  now  take  a  retrospect  of  the  country  I  had 
just  left,  and  give  a  brief  summary  of  my  observations  on  its 
political  condition. 

In  default  of  a  national  designation  for  a  group  of  tribes 
speaking  almost  the  same  dialect,  and  whose  distinctive 


THE  MITTOO. 


403 


qualities  appear  mainly  in  their  slight  differences  of  apparel, 
I  should  prefer  to  follow  the  example  of  the  Khartoomers, 
and  call  these  people  simply  Mittoo ;  this  name,  however, 
only  really  belongs  to  the  most  northerly  of  the  group,  who 
call  themselves  Mittoo,  or  Mattoo,  and  there  are  four  other 
tribes  who  consider  themselves  equally  distinct  and  inde- 
pendent, viz.,  the  Madi,*  the  Madi-Kaya,  the  Abbakah,  and 
the  Loobah.  Their  collective  country  lies  between  the  rivers 
Eoah  and  Kohl,  and  for  the  most  part  is  situated  between 
lat.  5°  and  6°  N.  Towards  the  north  it  stretches  far  as  the 
territories  of  the  Dinka  tribes  of  the  Kohl  and  Agar ;  on 
the  south  it  is  bounded  by  the  eastern  extremity  of  the 
Niam-niam,  where  the  name  of  Makkaral^kah  has  already 
been  adopted  in  our  maps.  But  Makkarakkah  and  Kakka- 
rakkah  is  a  designation  which  the  Mittoo  use  for  the  Niam- 
niam  taken  in  the  gross,  and  not  the  name  of  any  single 
tribe*  Out  of  their  own  mouth,  whenever  I  referred  to  the 
soil  upon  which  I  was  standing,  I  had  every  proof  that  the 
Mittoo  call  their  land  Moro,"  a  name  which  Petherick  on 
his  map  has  attributed  to  the  entire  district  between  lat. 
4°  30'  and  6°  N.,  which  extends  eastwards  from  the  Kohl  to 
the  Ayi. 

All  the  Mittoo  tribes  are  able  to  converse  with  each  other, 
as  their  languages  present  only  such  minor  differences  of 
dialect  as  might  be  supposed  would  arise  from  their  inde- 
pendent political  position  ;  the  Niam-niam,  on  the  other  hand, 
with  just  the  same  plurality  of  tribes,  preserve  a  uniformity 
of  language  which  admits  of  scarcely  any  variety.  The 
Mittoo  dialects  in  some  of  their  sounds  resemble  that  of  the 
Bongo,  but  taken  as  a  whole,  like  all  the  distinctive  languages 
of  the  larger  nations  of  the  Gazelle,  the  Mittoo  and  the 
Bongo  have  very  little  in  common.    As  far  as  regards 

*  These  Madi,  whose  name  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  Africa,  have  no 
connexion  with  the  Madi.  of  the  upper  part  of  the  Balir-el-GebeL 


404 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


customs,  dress,  and  household  appliances,  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  Mittoo  tribes  most  nearly  resemble  the  Bongo,  and 
it  almost  might  seem  as  if,  in  the  history  of  their  develop- 
ment, they  formed  a  transition  between  them  and  the  Niam- 
niam. 

The  subjection  of  the  Mittoo  to  the  Khartoomers  must  not 
be  dated  earlier  than  the  year  preceding  my  visit.  Although 
the  country  in  a  limited  sense  had  to  a  certain  extent  been 
partitioned  amongst  the  arbitrary  and  advancing  companies 
of  the  Upper  Nile,  and  notwithstanding  that  its  inhabitants 
had  been  in  places  reduced  to  a  condition  of  vassalage 
similar  to  that  under  which  the  Dyoor  and  Bongo  had  been 
smarting  for  the  last  ten  years,  yet  the  entire  subjugation  of 
the  southern  tribes,  the  Loobah  and  Abbakah  in  particular, 
might  still  be  described  as  incomplete.  The  Abbakah 
hitherto  have  been  only  occasionally  subject  to  the  incursions 
of  slave-catchers  and  corn-stealers,  and  therefore  they  have 
neither  the  advantages  nor  the  disadvantages,  whatever  they 
may  be,  of  actual  vassals. 

In  the  scale  of  humanity  all  the  Mittoo  tribes  are  decidedly 
inferior  to  the  Bongo :  they  are  distinguished  from  them  by 
a  darker  complexion,  and  by  a  bodily  frame  less  adapted  to 
sustain  exertion  or  fatigue.  During  my  visit  to  the  Niam- 
niam  countries,  I  had  many  opportunities  of  seeing  large 
bodies  of  bearers  of  both  races,  side  by  side,  and  was  then 
able  to  institute  comparisons  between  the  two.  The  Bongo 
vied  with  each  other  in  their  powers  of  endurance,  and  would 
subsist  for  *a  length  of  time  upon  mere  roots  without  any 
perceptible  change  in  their  appearance,  whilst  the  Mittoo 
under  the  same  ordeal  would  waste  almost  to  skeletons,  and 
in  a  very  short  time  would  abandon  all  attempt  at  work. 
Even  in  their  6wn  homes  I  hardly  ever  saw  them  with 
the  strongly-built  frames  of  the  sturdy  Bongo.  Nearly 
all  the  Mittoo  who  were  employed  as  bearers  \Aere  afflicted 
with  the  guinea-worm.    An  undesirable  prerogative  is  this 


FERTILITY  OF  MITTOO  COUNTRY. 


405 


that  the  race  have  gained,  that  they  should  nurture  such 
a  thorn  in  the  flesh ;  for  the  guinea-worm  is  far  from  uni- 
versal, and  makes  selections  as  to  what  diversities  of  human 
nature  it  shall  choose  to  patronise. 

I  failed  to  obtain  any  satisfactory  explanation  of  this 
debility  of  the  Mittoo ;  their  land  is  very  productive,  they  are 
diligent  agriculturists,  and  they  cultivate  many  a  variety  of 
cereals  and  tuberous  plants,  as  well  as  of  oily  and  leguminous 
fruits.  On  account  of  its  fertility  the  land  requires  but 
little  labour  in  its  culture,  and  throughout  its  extent  displays 
a  productiveness  which  is  only  fourid  for  any  continuance  at 
rare  intervals  in  the  other  countries  that  I  visited.  It  is 
especially  noticeable  between  lat.  5°  and  5°  30'  K.,  in  the 
districts  on  the  upper  Koah  and  Wohko,  which  are  liberal 
stores  for  the  sterile  Nubian  settlements  on  either  hand. 
The  district  of  the  Mbomo,  which  is  adjacent  to  that  of  the 
Nganye  of  the  Niam-niam,  between  the  rivers  Lehssy  and 
Boah,  is  also  pre-eminent  among  its  neighbours  for  its 
extensive  growth  of  maize. 


Goat  of  the  Bongo.  Mittoo.  Momwu.  and  Babuckur. 


406 


THE  HEART  OF  AFMCA. 


The  Mittoo  breed  the  same  domestic  animals  as  the  Bongo, 
viz.,  goats,  dogs,  and  poultry ;  they  possess  no  cattle,  and 
are  on  that  account  ranked  by  the  Dinka  under  the  con- 
temptuous designation  of  "  Dyoor,"  which  is  intended  to  be 
synonymous  with  savages.  They  estimate  the  dog,  however, 
in  a  very  different  way  from  the  Bongo,  and  by  their  fondness 
for  its  flesh  show  that  they  are  not  many  grades  above  the 
cannibal.  Bernardin  de  S.  Pierre,  in  his  '  Etudes  de  la 
Nature,'  gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  to  eat  dog's  flesh  is 
the  first  step  towards  cannibalism ;  and  certainly,  when  I 
enumerate  to  myself  the  peoples  whom  I  visited  who  actually, 
more  or  less,  devoured  human  flesh,  and  find  that  among 
them  dogs  were  invariably  considered  a  delicacy,  I  cannot 
but  believe  that  there  is  some  truth  in  the  hypothesis. 

The  whole  group  of  the  Mittoo  exhibits  peculiarities  by 
which  it  may  be  distinguished  from  its  neighbours.  The 
external  adornment  of  the  body,  the  costume,  the  ornaments, 
the  mutilations  which  individuals  undergo — in  short,  the 
general  fashions — have  all  a  distinctive  character  of  their  own. 
The  most  remarkable  of  their  habits  is  the  revolting,  because 
unnatural,  manner  in  which  the  women  pierce  and  distort 
their  lips ;  they  seem  to  vie  with  each  other  in  their  muti- 
lations, and  their  vanity  in  this  respect  I  believe  surpasses 
anything  that  may  be  found  throughout  Africa.  Not  satisfied 
with  piercing  the  lower  lip,  they  drag  out  the  upper  lip  as 
well  for  the  sake  of  symmetry.  *  To  the  observations  I  have 
made  before  about  all  African  tribes  that  in  their  attire  they 
endeavour  to  imitate  some  part  of  the  animal  creation,  I  may 
add  that  they  seem  to  show  a  special  preference  for  copying 
any  individual  species  for  which  they  have  a  particular 
reverence.  In  this  way  it  frequently  happens  that  their 
superstition  indirectly  influences  the  habits  of  their  daily 
life,  and  that  their  animal-worship  finds  expression  in  their 

*  The  mutilation  of  both  lips  was  also  observed  by  Eohlfs  among  the  women 
of  Kadje,  in  Segseg,  between  Lake  Tsad  and  the  Benwe. 


MUTILATION  OF  LIPS. 


407 


dress.  It  is,  however,  difficult  to  find  anything  in  nature 
collateral  with  the  adornment  of  the  Mittoo  women ;  and  it 
surpasses  all  effort  to  understand  what  ideal  they  can  have  in 
their  imagination  when  they  extend  their  lips  into  broad 
bills.  If  our  supposition  be  correct,  the  Mittoo  fashion  perhaps 
only  indicates  a  partiality  for  the  spoonbills  and  the  shovellers 
with  which  these  ladies  may  have  some  spiritual  affinity. 
The  projections  of  the  iron-clad  lips  are  of  service  to  give 
effect  to  an  outbreak  of  anger,  for  by  means  of  them  the 
women  can  snap  like  an  owl  or  a  stork,  or  almost  as  well  as 
the  Balasniceps  Bex. 


Lory,  a  Mittoo  Woman. 


Circular  plates  nearly  as  large  as  a  crown  piece,  made 
variously  of  quartz,  of  ivory,  or  of  horn,  are  inserted  into  the 
lips  that  have  been  stretched  by  the  growth  of  years,  and 
these  often  rest  in  a  position  that  is  all  but  horizontal ;  and 
when  the  women  want  to  drink  they  have  to  elevate  the  upper 


408 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA, 


Wengo,  a  Mittoo  Woman. 


lip  with  tlieir  fingers,  and  to  pour  the  draught  into  tlieir 
mouths. 

Similar  in  shape  is  the  decoration  which  is  worn  by  the 
women  of  Maganya ;  but  though  it  is  round,  it  is  a  ring  and 
not  a  flat  plate ;  it  is  called  a  pelele,"  and  has  no  other  object 
than  to  expand  the  upper  lip.  Some  of  the  Mittoo  women, 
especially  the  Loobah,  not  content  with  the  circle  or  the 
ring,  force  a  cone  of  polished  quartz  through  the  lips  as 
though  they  had  borrowed  an  idea  from  the  rhinoceros. 
This  fashion  of  using  quartz  belemnites  of  more  than  two 
inches  long  is  in  some  instances  adopted  by  the  men. 

The  women  of  the  Madi  correspond  in  their  outward  garb 
with  the  Mittoo  in  general;  they  make  use  of  a  short 
garment  of  mixed  leaves  and  grass  like  the  Bongo.  The 
men  adopt  the  same  kind  of  skin  covering  for  their  loins  as 
the  Bongo,  but  they  have  one  decoration  which  seems  peculiar 


M]TTOO  GARMENTS. 


409 


Loobah  Woman. 


to  themselves  ;  they  wear  in  front  something  after  the  style 
of  the  "  rahad  "  of  the  Soudan  or  the  "  isimene  " 
of  the  Kaffirs — a  short  appendage  made  of 
straps  of  leather,  ornamented  by  rings  and 
scraps  of  iron;  but  it  is  so  narrow  that  it 
has  almost  the  look  of  a  cat-o'-nine-tails. 
There  are  others  who  buckle  on  to  their  loins 
a  triangular  skin  which  has  every  variety  of 
rings  and  iron  knick-knacks  fastened  round 
its  edge. 

Occasionally  there  were  to  be  seen  some  broad 
girdles  covered  with  a  profusion  of  cowries,  such 
as  the  Niam-niam  were  said  to  wear ;  but 
hitherto  the  Madi  were  the  only  people  I  had 
met  with  who  retained  any  value  for  cowries,  cono  of  quartz  wom 
which  for  some  time  had  ceased  to  be  lield  in    sL*]!^  ^^^^^^^ 


410 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


much  repute  in  the  Gazelle  district.  The  mode  of  wearing 
these  conchy lia  was  to  split  off  their  con- 
vex backs  and  to  fasten  them  on  so  as 
to  display  only  the  white  orifices. 

Like  the  northern  Bongo  the  Mittoo 
disdain  devoting  their  attention  to  the 
decoration  of  their  hair :  men  and  women 
alike  wear  it  quite  short.  The  portrait 
of  Goggo  has  already  furnished  a  re- 
presentation of  one  of  their  elaborate 
perukes. 

The  plucking  out  of  the  eyelashes 
and  the  eyebrows  is  quite  an  ordinary 
Apron  worn  by  the  Madi.  procccdiug  amoug  the  womeu.  The  men 
have  coverings  for  their  head  the  same  as  the  Niam-niam. 
The  accompanying  portrait  of  Ngahma  shows  such  an  article 
of  headgear,  suggesting  the  comparison  either  of  a  Kussian 
coachman's  hat,  or  of  the  cap  of  a  mandarin.  They  are  very 
fond  likewise  of  fixing  a  number  of  iron  spikes  to  a  plate 
which  they  fasten  behind  the  head,  and  to  these  they  attach 
strings  of  beads  and  tufts  of  hair.  The  Madi  make  also  a 
sort  of  cap  rather  prettily  ornamented  with  coloured  beads 
and  which  fits  the  head  tight  like  a  skull-cap. 

It  is  only  among  the  men  that  tattooing  is  practised  on  a 
large  scale,  the  lines  usually  radiating  from  the  belly  in  the 
direction  of  the  shoulders  like  the  buttons  on  certain  uni- 
forms ;  the  women  merely  have  a  couple  of  parallel  rows  of 
dotted  lines  upon  the  forehead.  The  variety  is  very  great  of 
the  ornaments  wliich  they  construct  out  of  iron  and  copper, 
consisting  of  bells,  drops,  small  axes  and  anchors,  diminutive 
rings,  and  platters,  and  trinkets  of  every  sort.  All  the 
women  wear  a  host  of  rinsrs  in  their  ears. 

These  tribes  have  the  same  liking  for  iron  chains  as  the 
Niam-niam  and  the  Monbuttoo.  Whatever  they  attach  to 
their  bodies  they  attach  by  chains ;  and  they  are  very  inven- 


MITTOO  ORNAMENTS. 


tive  in  their  designs  for  armlets  and  rings  for  the  ankles. 
The  armlets  very  often  have  a  projecting  rim,  which  is  pro- 


Ngahma,  a  Mittoo  Chief. 


vided  with  a  number  of  spikes  or  teeth,  which  apparently 
have  no  other  object  than  to  make  a  single  combat  as  effec- 
tive as  possible. 

Even  amongst  these  uncultured  children  of  nature,  human 
pride  crops  up  amongst  the  fetters  of  fashion,  which  indeed 
are  fetters  in  the  worst  sense  of  the  word ;  for  fashion  in  the 
distant  wilds  of  Africa  tortures  and  harasses  poor  humanity 
as  much  as  in  the  great  .prison  of  civilisation.  As  a  mark  of 
their  wealth,  and  for  the  purpose  of  asserting  their  station  in 
life,  both  sexes  of  the  Mittoo  wear  chains  of  iron  as  thick  as 
their  fingers,  and  of  these  very  often  four  at  a  time  are  to  be 

Vol.  I.— 29 


412 


THE  HE.AKT  OF  AFRICA. 


noticed  on  the  neck  of  the  same  individual.  Necklaces  of 
leather  are  not  unfrequently  worn  strong  enough  to  bind  a 
lion  ;  these  impart  to  the  head  that  rigidity  of  attitude  given 
by  the  high  cravats  at  which  we  wonder  so  much  when  we 
look  at  the  portraits  of  a  past  generation.  When  the  mag- 
nates of  the  people,  arrayed  in  this  massive  style,  and  reeking 
with  oily  fat,  swagger  about  with  sovereign  contempt  amongst 
their  fellow  mortals,  they  are  only  as  grand  as  the  slimy 
diplomatists,  solemn  and  stiff,  who  strut  along  without  vouch- 
safing to  unlock  one  secret  from  their  wary  lips.  These 
necklaces  are  fixtures ;  they  are  fastened  so  permanently  in 
their  place  that  only  death,  decay,  or  decapitation  can  remove 
them.  I  was  never  fortunate  enough  to  see  the  mysterious 
operation  by  which  these  circles  were  welded  on,  but  I  know 
that  when  the  rings  are  soldered  to  the  arms  and  ankles, 
fillets  of  wood  are  inserted  below  the  metal  to  protect  the 
flesh  from  injury. 

Amongst  the  many  particulars  in  which  the  Mittoo  are 
inferior  to  the  Bongo,  it  may  be  noticed  that  their  huts 
are  not  only  smaller,  but  that  they  are  very  indifferently 
built.  Many  of  them  could  be  covered  by  a  crinoline  of 
lavish  proportions.  In  their  musical  instruments,  however, 
and  in  their  capabilities  for  instrumental  performances,  they 
are  far  superior  to  any  of  their  neighbours.  Instead  of  the 
great  "  manyinyee,"  or  wooden  trumpet  of  the  Bongo,  they 
make  use  of  long  gourd  flasks  with  holes  in  the  side.  They 
have  also  a  stringed  instrument  which  may  be  described  as 
something  between  a  lyre  and  a  mandolin ;  five  strings  are 
stretched  across  a  bridge  which  is  formed  from  the  large 
shell  of  the  Anodont  mussel ;  the  sounding  board  is  quad- 
rangular, covered  wdth  skin,  with  a  circular  sound- hole  at  each 
corner.  The  instrument  altogether  is  extremely  like  the 
"  robaba "  of  the  Nubians,  and  constitutes  one  of  many  evi- 
dences which  might  be  adduced  that  the  present  inhabitants 
of  the  Nile  Valley  have  some  real  affinity  with  the  tribes  of 


MITTOO  MUSIC. 


413 


the  most  central  parts  of  Africa.  The  flute  is  made  quite 
on  the  European  principle,  and  is  most  ex- 
pertly handled  by  the  Madi,  who  bestow 
much  attention  on  mastering  particular  pieces. 
Small  signal-horns  made  with  three  apertures 
are  in  general  use  amongst  the  tribes  of  the 
district ;  but  the  slim  trumpet  called  "  don- 
gorah  "  is  peculiar  to  the  Mittoo ;  it  is  about 
eighteen  inches  long,  and  resembles  the 
"  mburah  "  of  the  Bongo.  Music  is  in  high 
estimation  amongst  the  tribes  which  com- 
pose this  group,  and  it  may  be  said  of  them 
that  they  alone  have  any  genuine  appre- 
ciation of  melody,  negro  music  in  general  being  mere  recita- 
tive and  alliteration.  I  once  heard  a  chorus  of  a  hundred 
Mittoo  singing  together ;  there  were  men  and  women,  old  and 
young,  and  they  kept  admirable  time,  succeeding  in  gradual 
cadence  to  procure  some  very  effective  variations  of  a  well- 
sustained  air. 


Mittoo  Lyre. 


Mittoo  air. 

The  implements  in  general  differed  very  little  from  the 
industrial  contrivances  of  the  Bongo.  Their  iron-work  is 
rougher  and  clumsier ;  but  they  take  a  great  deal  of  pains  in 
forming  their  arrow-tips,  having  scores  of  devices  for  shaping 
the  barbs.  One  of  their  ordinary  utensils  is  a  crescent-cut 
ladle  with  a  long  handle  for  stirring  their  soup. 

Graves,  for  the  most  part  are  seen  like  those  of  the  Bongo  ; 
they  consist  of  a  heap  of  stones  supported  by  stakes,  on 
which  is  placed  the  flask  from  which  the  deceased  was  accus- 
tomed to  drink ,  both  Mittoo  and  Bongo  too,  as  might  be 


414 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


conjectured,  Lave  the  same  method  of  disposing  of  their  dead, 
and  erect  the  carved  wood  penates  which  have  been  already 
mentioned. 

The  use  of  the  bow  and  arrow  gives  the  Mittoo  a  certain 
warlike  superiority  over  the  Dinka,  and  among  their  neigh- 
bours they  are  considered  to  surpass  the  Bongo  in  their 
dexterity  in  archery.  Their  bows  are  four  feet  long,  and  of 
an  ordinary  form.  Like  the  Monbuttoo,  who  have  shorter 
bows,  they  use  wooden  arrows  which  are  about  three  feet  in 
length.  The  heads  of  these  arrows  reach  to  the  middle  of 
the  length.  The  Mittoo  despise  the  cumbrous  protection 
of  a  shield,  but  they"  are  careful  to  keep  a  liberal  supply  of 
spears. 


CHAPTEK  X. 


Preparations  for  Niam-niam  campaign.  Generosity  of  Aboo  Sammat.  Organi- 
sation of  the  caravan.  Ceremonies  at  starting.  Banner  of  Islam.  Travelling 
costume.  Terminalia  forest.  Hartebeest  chase.  Ahmed  the  Liar.  Pro- 
spect from  Mbala  Ngeea.  Bivouac  on  the  Lehssy.  Camp  noises  at  night. 
Story  of  cannibalism.  Ahmed's  fate.  The  Ibba.  First  meeting  with 
Niam-niam.  Growth  of  the  popukky-grass.  Elephant-hunting  among  the 
Niam-niam.  Surprise  at  the  white  man.  Visit  to  Nganye.  A  chieftain's 
household.  Entertainment  by  Nganye.  Gumba.  Colocasia.  A  Niam-niam 
minstrel.  Beauty  of  the  Zawa-trees.  Encephalartus  on  the  hill  of  Gumango. 
Cultivated  districts  on  the  Eye.  Condition  of  hamlets  and  farms.  Devasta- 
tion of  Bendo's  district.  Contest  with  the  soldiers.  Escape  from  a  bullet. 
Identity  of  the  Sway  and  the  Dyoor.  The  law  of  drainage.  Passage  of  the 
ManzlUy.  First  primeval  forest.  Frontier  wildernesses.  Organisation  in 
the  geography  of  plants.  Importance  of  guinea-fowl  to  the  traveller.  Feed- 
ing the  bearers.    National  diet. 

Three  montlis  had  thus  elapsed  in  almost  uninterrupted 
wanderings,  but  I  found  on  my  return  to  Sabby  that  I  could 
spare  only  a  short  reprieve  for  recruiting.  Previous  to  starting 
on  the  laborious  expedition  to  the  Niam-niam,  to  which  under 
the  guidance  of  my  protector  I  had  pledged  myself,  there 
remained  only  a  fortnight.  A  score  of  packages  had  to  be 
fastened  up,  many  a  trunk  had  to  be  arranged,  clothes  had 
to  be  provided,  implements  of  many  sorts  to  be  secured, 
ammunition  and  arms  to  be  put  in  readiness  for  .the  pro- 
jected excursion  into  a  hostile  territory,  where  we  proposed 
to  pursue  our  way  for  six  months  to  come.  In  addition  to 
this  provision  for  the  future,  I  had  to  make  good  the  arrears 
in  my  diary,  to  get  through  all  my  correspondence  for  the 
current  year,  and  to  provide  for  the  remittance  of  my  valu- 
ables to  distant  Europe.  All  this  had  to  be  accomplished  in 
the  space  of  fourteen  days. 


416 


THE'HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


Nor  could  domestic  demands  aftoid  to  be  overlooked. 
My  household  required  a  vigilant  supervision.  The  mere 
labour  of  washing  our  clothes*  was  considerable,  although  the 
accumulation  of  two  months*  wear  was  by  no  means  extensive. 
In  order  to  perform  the  laundry  work,  it  was  necessary 
to  send  to  the  river,  a  league  and  a  half  distant,  where 
the  things  could  be  rinsed  out,  dried,  and  bleached.  On  the 
evening  before  our  departure  for  what  we  called  "  the  world's 
end,"  my  four-legged  body-guard  was  suddenly  enlarged  by 
eight  charming  little  pups  of  the  splendid  Shillook  breed. 
Of  my  Nubian  servants,  Hussein  was  the  oldest  and  the  most 
experienced,  and  to  him  I  entrusted  the  responsibility  of 
conveying  in  safety  the  newly-born  animals,  together  with 
my  correspondence  and  all  my  collections,  back  to  G-hattas's 
Seriba  in  Dyoor-land,  which  I  still  deemed  my  head-quarters. 
The  worthy  fellow  thus  had  the  advantage  of  exchanging 
the  prospect  of  a  roving  life  among  the  Niam-niam  for  the 
friendly  life  of  the  Seriba,  where,  in  the  society  of  his  country- 
men, he  might  pass  his  time  in  playing  upon  the  robaba,  in 
mastering  the  intricacies  of  the  game  of  mungala,  or,  while 
the  gourd-shells  of  merissa  went  merrily  round,  in  joining  in 
the  chorus,  rendered  with  a  fine  nasal  twang,  of  "  Derderoah, 
derderoah  el  yum,  derderoah,  derdereh,  ginyatohm." 

By  the  29th  of  January,  1870,  every  preparation  had  been 
so  far  advanced  that  the  bulk  of  the  caravan  was  set  in 
motion.  Mohammed  Aboo  Sammat  himself  proposed  to  join 
the  party  in  about  a  fortnight,  as  he  was  compelled  to  go 
into  the  Mittoo  district  to  secure  some  additional  bearers. 
My  own  retinue  consisted  of  four  Nubian  servants,  and  three 
negroes  who  were  engaged  as  interpreters,  one  of  them  being 
a  Bongo,  the  other  two  genuine  Niam-niam ;  besides  these, 
there  was  a  number  of  Bongo  bearers,  which  at  first  was 
about  thirty,  but  in  the  course  of  our  progress  was  increased 
to  forty.  The  whole  of  these  were  supplied  to  me  at  the 
sole  expense  of  Mohammed,  whose  hospitality  I  had  now 


MOHAMMED  ABOO  SAMMAT.  417 

been  receiving  for  three  months,  and  continued  to  enjoy  to 
the  end  of  our  excursion ;  not  only  throughout  the  period  of 
eight  months  did  he  entertain  me  and  all  my  party  whilst 
we  were  in  his  settlements,  but  he  entered  most  readily  into 
all  my  wishes,  and  whenever  I  desired  to  explore  any  out- 
lying parts  he  would  always  lend  me  the  protection  of  a 
portion  of  his  armed  force. 

Never  before  had  any  European  traveller  in  Central  Africa 
such  advantageous  conditions  for  pursuing  his  investigations ; 
never  hitherto  in  the  heart  of  an  unknown  land  had  there 
been  anything  like  the  same  number  of  bearers  at  his  dis- 
posal, and  that,  too,  in  a  region  where  the  sole  means  of 
transport  is  on  the  heads  of  the  natives.  All  the  museums 
— particularly  those  which  are  appropriated  to  botany— 
which  have  been  enriched  in  any  way  by  my  journey ings  are 
indebted  to  Aboo  Sammat  for  not  a  few  of  their  novelties.. 
Solely  because  I  was  supported  by  him  did  I  succeed  in 
pushing  my  way  to  the  Upper  Shary,  more  than  800  miles 
from  Khartoom,  thus  opening  fresh  districts  to  geographical 
knowledge  and  establishing  the  existence  of  some  enigma- 
tical people. 

Everything,  moreover,  that  Mohammed  did  was  suggested 
by  his  own  free-will.  No  compulsion  of  government  was  put 
upon  him,  no  inducements  on  my  part  were  held  out,  and,, 
what  is  more,  no  thought  of  compensation  for  his  outlay  on, 
myself  or  my  party  ever  entered  his  mind.  The  purest 
benevolence  manifestly  prompted  him — the  high  virtue  of 
hospitality  in  its  noblest  sense.  Whoever  is  actuated  by  the 
spirit  of  adventure  to  penetrate  into  the  heart  of  Africa,  so 
as  to  make  good  his  footing  amongst  four  different  peoples,, 
is  undoubtedly  a  man  of  energy ;  although  he  may  not  be 
spurred  on  by  any  scientific  purpose,  and  may  simply  be 
gratifying  a  desire  to  visit  lands  that  are  strange  and  to 
enjoy  sights  that  are  rare,  yet  he  must  have  succeeded  in 
vanquishing  the  thoughts  which  suggest  that  there  is  no 


418 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


place  like  home,  and  which  represent  it  as  the  merest  folly 
to  sacrifice  domestic  ease  for  the  fatigues,  troubles,  and 
privations  which  are  inseparable  from  the  life  of  a  wanderer. 

Our  caravan  was  joined  on  its  way  by  a  company  of 
Ghattas's  from  Dangadduloo,  conducted  by  a  stout  Dinka, 
whose  acquaintance  I  had  already  made  at  the  Seriba  where 
he  resided.  His  party  consisted  of  500  bearers  and  120 
soldiers,  and  th^y  contemplated,  in  conjunction  with  a  part 
of  A  boo  Sam  mat's  people,  undertaking  an  expedition  into 
the  ivory  district  of  Keefa.  *  That  district  was  shut  out  from 
Grhattas's  by  the  fact  of  the  road  towards  it  being  the  pro- 
perty of  Aboo  Sammat :  according  to  a  convention  entered 
into  by  the  Nubians,  a  caravan  of  one  company  was  not  to 
traverse  a  region  appropriated  by  another,  unless  an  alliance 
for  that  purpose  was  made  between  the  two.  As  the  result 
of  this  compact,  it  had  come  to  pass  that  no  less  than  fifteen 
different  roads,  corresponding  to  the  same  number  of  different 
merchant  houses  in.  Khartoom,  branched  out  towards  the 
south  and  west  from  the  localities  of  the  Seribas  into  the 
remotest  lands  of  the  Niam-niam. 

Wherever  two  of  these  roadways  intersect,  a  serious  col- 
lision between  the  parties  concerned  is  almost  certain  to 
ensue.  Any  conductor  of  an  expedition  is  sure  to  endeavour 
to  get  the  monopoly  of  all  the  ivory  into  his  own  hands. 
The  various  native  chieftains  are  prohibited  from  disposing 
of  their  produce  to  any  other  agent  than  himself— a  demand 
which  is  enforced  by  violence — and  rival  companies  are  in- 
timidated by  threats  of  action  for  trespass  ;  in  fact,  no  pains 
are  spared  to  assert  a  right  as  vigorously  as  possible. 

An  agreement  had  now  been  made  according  to  which  the 
leader  of  (xhattas's  caravan  was  to  accompany  Aboo  Sammat's 
expedition  as  far  as  his  establishments  in  the  Niam-niam 
lands,  and  afterwards  was  to  be  allowed  the  protection  of 
a  military  detachment  to  proceed  towards  the  west,  Aboo 
Sammat  himself  having  resolved  to  carry  on  his  own  main 


MITTOO  BEAKERS. 


419 


body  in  the  direction  of  the  south.  The  bearers  of  the 
Ghattas  party  from  the  east  were  all  Mittoo,  a  tribe  that  is 
of  much  weaker  frame  and  less  capable  of  sustaining  fatigue 
than  the  Bongo,  so  that  by  the  time  that  they  had  reached 
Sabby,  although  it  was  only  about  four  days'  march,  they 
had  already  a  considerable  number  of  invalids.  Aboo  Sam- 
mat's  intention  this»  year  was  to  make  his  first  experiment 
with  the  Mittoo  from  the  territories  he  had  recently  gained, 
and  to  try  to  employ  them  as  bearers  in  this  enterprise 
among  the  Niam-niam.  To  be  a  bearer  is  a  service  which 
demands  a  kind  of  apprenticeship,  and  no  one  without 
practice  is  fitted  for  the  continual  strain  and  endurance 
which  it  requires.  The  representations,  moreover,  which  had 
been  made  to  these  inexperienced  Mittoo,  both  about  the 
nature  of  the  country  they  would  have  to  traverse  and 
the  cannibal  propensities  of  the  people  with  whom  they 
would  be  brought  in  contact,  acted  so  powerfully  upon  them 
that  it  was  only  under  compulsion  that  they  could  be  made 
to  enter  upon  the  service  at  all.  While,  therefore,  the  Bongo 
bearers  were  to  be  relied  upon,  and  looked  forward  blithely 
to  any  fatigues  that  might  be  before  them,  the  Mittoo  had 
to  be  scrupulously  watched,  and  by  night  to  be  carefully 
secured  within  the  bounds  of  the  palisade  to  prevent  their 
effecting  an  escape.  On  the  very  evening  before  we  started 
from  Sabby  a  number  of  them  ventured  upon  a  combination 
to  revolt,  and,  in  fact,  got  free  into  the  open  country.  By 
the  assistance  of  the  Bongo  they  were  captured  after  an 
hour's  hard  chase,  brought  back  into  the  Seriba,  placed  under 
closer  guardianship,  and  for  a  punishment  were  made  to  wear 
all  night  the  yoke  of  the  "  sheyba,"  which  is  ordinarily  placed 
on  the  necks  of  slaves. 

Swelling  the  numbers  of  our  caravans  there  was  a  whole 
troop  of  women  and  female  slaves,  and  a  crowd  of  negro  lads 
who  followed  the  soldiers  to  carry  their  equipments.  There 
was  in  addition  a  large  herd  of  cattle  which  the  Ghattas 


* 


420 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


party  had  plundered  from  the  Dinka,  and  which  they  drove 
with  them  to  maintain  themselves  when  they  came  to  enter 
upon  the  desolation  of  the  desert.  Aboo  Sammat,  never  rich 
in  cattle,  because  he  did  not,  in  the  same  way  as  his  neigh- 
bours, indulge  in  plundering  the  Dinka,  had  certainly  made 
no  superfluous  provision  for  the  needs  of  his  people ;  but  for 
myself  there  was  an  abundant  supply  df  calves,  sheep,  and 
goats  still  remaining  from  the  liberal  presents  that  had 
been  made  me  in  Mvolo  during  my  excursion  to  the  Rohl. 
Whenever  an  animal  was  killed,  I  invariably  shared  the 
meat  with  the  Nubians,  and  they  were  always  ready  to 
return  the  favour  as  often  as  they  slaughtered  any  of  their 
own.  My  people's  necessities  were  thus  supplied,  whilst  per- 
sonally I  was  continually  provided  by  Aboo  Sammat  with 
the  choicest  morsels  as  long  as  there  was  any  choice  to  be 
made.  But  where  property  fails,  even  Caesar  must  forego 
his  rights ;  and  days  of  scarcity  did  •  arrive,  when  for  my 
servants  there  was  nothing,  and  for  myself  there  was  next  to 
nothing,  to  be  had. 

It  will  readily  be  imagined  that  for  a  colony  of  nearly 
800  people  a  start  in  single  file  was  not  effected  in  a  mo- 
ment :  it  was  quite  midday  before  I  commenced,  any  move- 
ment at  all.  Several  days  had  to  elapse,  and  no  little 
patience  had  to  be  tried,  before  things  fell  into  anything  like 
regularity.  Of  all  men  in  the  world,  perhaps  the  Nubians 
are  the  most  disorderly.  Method  is  altogether  alien  to  their 
nature;  they  loathe  it  after  the  unshackled  freedom  they 
are  accustomed  to  indulge ;  they  have  no  idea  of  any  advan- 
tages arising  from  mutual  co-operation,  and  accordingly 
they  look  upon  any  approach  to  order  only  as  a  token  of 
individual  bondage. 

Amongst  a  body  of  men  actuated  by  such  sentiments,  any 
thought  of  discipline,  according  to  our  ideas,  is  entirely  out 
of  the  question.  Only  that  master  can  at  all  hope  to  succeed 
in  exercising  any  authority  who  understands  how  to  get 


MANAGING  THE  NUBIANS. 


421 


upon  the  weak  side  of  their  character.  By  this  means  he 
may  perchance  attain  what  he  wants  in  a  way  which  a  Turk, 
even  by  the  extremest  severity,  could  never  accomplish. 
He  may  prevail,  for  instance,  by  slipping  in  at  the  right 
time  an  allusion  to  brotherhood,  or  by  an  appeal  to  honour 
and  to  the  value  of  one's  word ;  or  he  may  invoke  the  reli- 
gious sentiment  by  reminding  the  Nubian  of  his  being  a 
Mohammedan,  "  Thou  art  a  Moslem ;"  or  again,  by  holding- 
out  a  bribe,  such  as  a  fresh  slave  or  a  good  payment,  he  may 
reduce  a  cantankerous  spirit  to  subjection ;  but  whatever  is 
done  has  to  be  effected  craftily  and  with  a  good  deal  of 
insinuation  and  gentle  coaxing.  No  one  understood  all  these 
artifices  better  than  Abpo  Sammat,  who  was  utterly  regardless 
of  all  consequences  and  could  behave  like  a  perfect  tyrant 
as  soon  as  ever  he  had  established  a  control.  On  account 
of  my  own  position  amongst  the  Nubians  I  had  to  renounce 
most  of  these  little  artifices,  but,  nevertheless,  I  had  my  own 
special  resources.  A  piece  of  wit,  brought  to  bear  at  the 
right  place  and  at  the  right  time,  very  seldom  failed  to  I5e  of 
essential  service.  Although  a  capacity  for  appreciating  wit 
must  in  a  way  be  considered  local  and  limited  in  its  compass, 
yet  it  hardly  admits  of  dispute  that  there  is  no  nation  of  the 
world  entirely  without  its  sense  of  humour.  The  botanist 
Fortune,  who  made  his  laborious  investigations  in  China, 
has  left  it  upon  record  that  he  only  succeeded  by  mother- 
wit  in  gaining  access  to  a  people  which  had  previously 
resisted  every  effort  towards  the  least  familiar  intercourse 
with  them.  A  faculty  of  bantering  a  little  may  be  of  con- 
siderable service  to  assist  the  progress  of  a  traveller ;  and  I 
may,  perhaps,  be  allowed  to  relate  what  follows  as  an  in- 
stance of  the  mode  in  which  I  attempted  to  proceed,  and  the 
example,  perchance,  may  give  a  trifling  hint  to  those  who 
may  be  disposed  to  follow  in  my  wake. 

I  will  assume  that  there  was  going  to  be  some  contention 
or  other  between  me  and  my  people,  as,  for  instance,  that  I 


422  THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 

had  determined  to  go  to  some  particular  mountain,  and  they 
held  it  as  utterly  useless  to  go  and  camp  in  a  desert  while 
they  had  the  chance  of  staying  and  enjoying  their  merissa 
among  their  friends.  Very  rarely  in  Egypt  do  people  ex- 
change a  few  words  with  one  another  without  introducing 
the  term  "  ya  Sheikh "  as  a  mode  of  allocution.  Even  a 
father  talking  to  his  son  of  a  few  years  old  will  address  him 
as  "  ya  Sheikh."  In  Nubia  the  habit  is  not  quite  so  general, 
but  is  common  enough  to  be  familiar  and  to  be  entirely 
understood.  Now,  one  of  my  people  had  once  taken  umbrage 
at  the  word  being  addressed  to  him,  and  in  ill-tempered 
p'que  he  had  repudiated  the  term,  saying  "  Don't  sheikh 
me  ;  I  am  no  sheikh."  I  thought  to  myself  that  he  should 
hear  of  this  again  ;  and  hear  of  it  again  he  did. 

Some  weeks  elapsed,  and  by  chance  an  occasion  arose 
when  we  were  discussing  about  a  certain  mountain,  wdiether 
it  were  too  far  off  or  too  high  for  us  to  ascend.  One  of 
my  party  was  arguing  and  trying  to  satisfy  the  other,  who 
was '  our  cantankerous  friend  of  old,  and  happened  to 
begin  one  of  his  appeals  to  him  by  saying  '*ya  Sheikh." 
This  was  my  chance;  so  I  cried  out,  "0  don't  sheikh 
him.  Twice  he  has  himself  told  me  that  he  is  no  sheikh ;  he 
is  a  lout.  If  he  were  a  sheikh,  he  would  go  with  us  to  the 
mountain ;  but,  because  he  is  a  lout,  he  likes  to  stay  behind 
and  sip  his  beer."  A  general  laugh  of  applause  followed  my 
little  sally,  and  the  joke  was  hailed  with  a  round  of  derision 
against  the  captious  booby.  This  trifling  circumstance,  per- 
haps, may  illustrate  the  mode  of  dealing  which  appeared  to 
answer  best,  and  I  hope  needs  no  excuse  for  the  length  at 
which  it  is  related.  " 

Delay  upon  delay  prevented  our  making  a  start,  and 
Nubian-like  we  consumed  the  day  in  getting  ready.  When 
the  caravan  did  issue  from  the  Seriba,  it  proceeded,  accord- 
ing to  the  usage  of  the  country,  under  the  conduct  of  a 
banner  carried  ahead.    The  armed  force  was  portioned  out 


BANNER  OF  ISLAM. 


423 


in  three  divisions,  each  of  which  had  its  own  flag.  Aboo 
Sammat's  banner  was  like  the  Turks' ;  it  had  the  crescent 
and  the  star  upon  a  red  ground :  Ghattas,  although  he  was 
a  Christian,  displayed  the  same  symbol  of  Islam,  only  red 
upon  a  white  ground.  At  the  start,  two  captains,  Ahmed 
and  Badry,  were  put  in  charge.  Of  these  I  had  already 
made  the  acquaintance  of  the  latter,  during  my  excursion  to 
the  Eohl.  Aboo  Sammat  himself,  as  I  haVe  mentioned,  had 
arranged,  with  the  third  corps,  to  join  the  caravan  some- 
what later. 

At  the  outset  of  any  expedition,  whether  it  be  a  movement 
to  the  river,  a  raid  upon  the  cattle  of  the  Dinka,  or  an 
excursion  to  the  Niam-niam,  it  is  deemed  an  indispensable 
preliminary  that  a  sheep  should  be  offered  in  sacrifice  at  the 
entrance  of  the  Seriba.  When  this  has  been  accomplished, 
the  procession  is  prepared  to  start,  and  the  standard-bearer 
lowers  his  flag  over  the  victim,  so  that  the  border  of  it  may 
just  touch  the  blood,  and  afterwards  there  is  the  usual 
muttering  of  prayers.  In  truth,  the  banner  of  Islam  is  a 
banner  of  blood.  Bloodthirsty  are  the  verses  which  are 
inscribed  upon  its  white  texture;  a  very  garland  of  cruel 
fanaticism  and  stern  intolerance  is  woven  in  the  sentences 
from  the  Koran'  which,  in  the  name  of  the  merciful  God, 
declare  war  against  all  who  deny  the  faith  that  there  is  one 
God  and  that  Mohan] med  is  his  prophet,  and  which  assert 
that  his  enemies  shall  perish  from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  sun  was  already  in  the  zenith  when  we  found  our  way 
to  the  arid  steppes ;  the  heat  was  scorching,  but  1  enjoyed 
having  my  dogs  about  me,  barking  for  joy  at  their  liberation 
from  the  confinement  of  the  Seriba.  Very  memorable  to  me 
is  still  that  day  on  which  I  took  this  first  decisive  step 
towards  the  attainment  of  my  cherished  hopes.  I  thought  of 
that  moonlight  night  as  I  left  Khartoom,  when  upon  the 
glassy  mirror  of  the  White  Nile  I  had  kept  my  vigil  of 
excited  interest,  and  now  here  I  was  making  a  still  more 


424 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFKICA. 


decisive  movement  and  entering  upon  a  still  more  important 
section  of  my  enterprise.  Now,  there  was  nothing  to  obstruct 
me  from  penetrating  to  the  heart  of  Africa  far  as  my  feet 
could  carry  me  ;  now,  as  Mohammed  said,  I  could  advance  to 
the  "world's  end,"  and  he  would  convey  me  on  till  even  I 
should  acknowledge  that  we  had  gone  far  enough.  But 
unfortunately  my  vision  of  hope  was  doomed  to  be  dispelled. 
Just  at  the  moment  when  curiosity  was  strained  to  its 
highest  expectation,  at  the  very  time  when  scientific  ardour 
was  kindled  to  go  on  into  the  very  depths  of  the  mysterious 
interior,  we  were  compelled  to  return.  Had  we  only  been 
enabled  to  prosecute  our  journey  as  far  again  towards  the 
south,  I  do  not  entertain  a  doubt  but  that  I  should  have  been 
in  a  condition  to  solve  the  problem  of  the  sources  of  those 
three  great  rivers  of  the  west,  the  Benwe,  the  Ogowai,  and 
the  Congo. 

Upon  the  first  day's  march  we  only  proceeded  a  few  miles 
and  camped  out  beside  the  little  stream  Tudyee,  of  which  the 
deeply-hollowed  bed  was  divided  into  two  separate  arms.  In 
one  of  these  arms  a  languid  current  was  passing  on,  but  in 
the  other,  which  was  perfectly  dry,  I  took  my  repose  for  the 
remainder  of  the  day,  under  the  shade  of  a  grateful  shrub- 
bery which  overhung  its  recesses.  The  revelry  of  a  camp 
life  was  not  wanting ;  meat  in  abundance  was  boiled,  roasted, 
and  broiled,  and  the  festivity  extended  far  into  the  night. 
As  is  ever  the  case  on  the  first  encampment,  the  proximity 
to  the  settlements  with  their  ample  provisions  enables  it  to 
assume  the  aspect  of  a  picnic. 

The  most  valuable  portion  of  my  luggage  was  conveyed  in 
twelve  small  portmanteaus,  carefully  covered  with  hides : 
the  remnant  was  carried  in  chests  and  baskets.  The  rolls  of 
paper  were  wrapped  in  sheets  of  calico,  which  I  had  well 
soaked  in  fresh  caoutchouc.  I  continued  to  experience  the 
great  comfort  of  having  my  baggage  conveyed  by  hand,  so 
that  I  had  access  at  any  stage  of  our  progress  to  whatever  I 


TKAVELLING  COSTUME.  425 

required.  It  was  hardly  necessary  to  keep  anything  under 
lock  and  key,  for  nothing  could  be  stolen  that  would  not  at 
once  betray  the  thief.  Everything  was  therefore  open,  and 
consequently  very  little  time  comparatively  was  lost  in 
preparing  for  the  daily  start.  There  was  only  one  thing  to 
be  guarded  against,  and  that  was  the  propensity  of  the 
bearers  to  turn  the  packages  upside  down.  It  was  necessary 
in  this  particular  to  be  always  jogging  the  memory  of  the 
Bongo,  who  would  reply  "  mawah,"  (I  hear)  and  so  everything 
would  go  safely  along,  over  sloughs  and  brooks  and  marshes, 
and  across  the  steppes  reeking  with  dew,  wherever  the  leader 
might  desire. 

Anxious  to  reach  the  village  of  the  Bongo  sheikh  Ngoly, 
we  made  a  prolonged  march  on  the  next  day.  Proceeding 
through  the  most  southerly  of  the  districts  occupied  by  the 
Bongo,  we  kept  still  in  the  region  that  belonged  to  Aboo 
Sammat.  An  hour  or  more  before  sunrise,  as  is  usual  with 
these  cara\^ns,  a  general  reveil  was  sounded  by  drums  and 
trumpets,  and  a  meal  was  made  on  the  remains  of  the  previous 
night's  feast,  as  no  halt  was  to  be  allowed  for  breakfast.  A 
collection  of  plants,  however,  has  to  be  carefully  handled, 
and  while  my  people  were  strapping  up  the  packages,  and 
the  bearers  and  soldiers  were  forming  their  line,  I  found  a 
quiet  half-hour  to  prepare  myself  a  cup  of  tea,  and  to  arrange 
all  my  little  matters  for  travelling.  For  the  European 
traveller  no  article  of  apparel  is  better  adapted  than  an  old- 
fashioned  waistcoat,  with  as  many  pockets  as  possible,  into 
which  a  watch,  a  cdmpass,  a  note-book,  a  tinder-box  with  some 
matches,  and  other  articles  of  continual  use  may  be  stowed. 
A  coat  of  any  sort,  however  light,  becomes  a  burden  upon 
a  walking  expedition ;  about  the  arms  it  always  uncom- 
fortably obstructs  the  perspiration.  A  strong  felt  hat  with 
a  broad  brim  is  the  best  protection  for  the  head ;  it  is 
preferable  to  the  Turkish  cap,  but  on  account  of  the 
intense  power  of  the  rays  of  the  sun  it  cannot  be  worn 


426  THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 

immediately  next  the  head.  It  cannot  have  anything  below 
it  better  than  the  red  fez,  which  never  requires  to  be  taken 
oflP;  when  rest  is  taken  under  the  shade  of  some  spreading 
tree,  it  is  quite  sufficient  to  remove  merely  the  felt  hat. 

The  march  was  through  a  pleasant  park-like  country,  and 
after  crossing  a  considerable  number  of  fordable  rivulets,  we 
arrived  about  midday  at  the  huts  of  Ngoly.  At  Ngoly,  over 
a  surface  of  about  eight  square  miles,  we  found  various  groves 
of  the  Terminalia  macroptera,  having  very  much  the  look  of 
a  wood  of  European  oaks.  In  these  regions  any  continuance 
of  a  single  species  of  tree  or  plant  is  very  rare,  and  the  bush- 
forests  are  generally  remarkable  for  the  great  diversity  of 
species  which  is  found  on  a  limited  area.  The  Terminalia  is 
to  be  classed  amongst  that  small  number  of  trees  of  which 
regular  groves,  in  what  we  call  forests,  rise  to  the  view.  It 
grows,  as  may  readily  be  observed,  upon  the  gentle  depres- 
sions of  a  soil  sufficiently  rich,  but  which  is  yet  too  dry  for 
the  formation  of  the  tall  grass  of  the  steppes,  bding  watered 
only  by  currents  which  are  formed  during  the  rains,  and  of 
which  we  crossed  the  remnants  during  the  dry  months  of 
winter.  Between  lat.  5°  and  3°  N.,  in  the  longitude  under 
whicl\  we  were  travelling,  the  equatorial  zone  of  the  continual 
rainfall  decidedly  suffers  an  interruption,  and  the  zenith 
altitudes  of  the  sun  cannot  be  said  to  bear  a  due  proportion 
to  the  largest  annual  fall  of  rain. 

The  forests  of  the  Terminalia  are  remarkable  for  the 
general  deficiency  of  undergrowth  or  bushwood  which  they 
exhibit,  a  circumstance  that  arises  from  th%  general  inability 
of  woody  plants  to  endure  so  moist  a  soil.  The  large  pro- 
portion of  the  trees  and  shrubs  of  the  country  thrive  much 
better  in  the  rocky  regions  of  the  ironstone,  and  if  ever  a 
grove  establishes  itself  where  the  ground  is  wet,  it  soon  gets 
as  clear  of  undergrowth  as  though  all  had  been  taken  away 
by  the  hand  of  man,  and  ere  long  it  assumes  quite  a  northern 
aspect. 


VOLUNTEER  HUNTSMEN. 


427 


The  landscape  in  Africa  presents  to  a  large  extent  exam- 
ples of  trees  which  only  cast  off  their  foliage  fitfully.  In 
contrast  to  these,  the  Terminalia  annually  throws  off  all  its 
leaves  as  soon  as  the  rains  are  over,  and  throughout  our 
winter  months  it  is  perfectly  bare.  It  grows  to  a  height  of 
about  thirty  or  forty  feet,  and  by  its  deeply-scored  black  bark 
and  the  general  character  of  its  ramifications,  it  may  be 
said  to  be  not  unlike  the  glutinous  alder  of  the  north. 

I  passed  the  afternoon  in  a  charming  wood  chasing  the 
hartebeests  (Antilope  caama)  which  were  abundant  every- 
where over  this  attractive  hunting-ground.  Their  leather- 
coloured  coats  stood  out  in  glaring  contrast  to  the  dark 
tree-stems;  but  the  lack  of  underwood  left  our  extensive 
encampment  so  thoroughly  exposed,  that  the  animals  took 
alarm  betimes,  and  were  difficult  to  reach.  Accordingly 
after  an  hour's  fatigue,  I  had  to  content  myself  (as  would 
happen  again  and  again)  with  a  number  of  guinea-fowl, 
which  were  a  never-failing  and  never-palling  contribution  to 
our  cuisine.  On  all  my  hunting  excursions  I  invariably  found 
myself  accompanied  by  a  regular  troop  of  people  who  made 
the  chase  a  matter  of  great  difficulty,  but  who  nevertheless 
considered  their  services  indispensable.  My  own  three  negroes 
carried  the  portfolios  for  the  plants,  and  my  rifles;  but 
from  the  bearers  there  was  always  a  swarm  of  volunteers  who 
came  to  act  as  pointers,  prompted  to  their  extra  exertions, 
partly  from  a  desire  to  get  the  lion's  share  of  what  might 
fall,  and  partly  from  that  irrepressible  love  of  hunting  which 
seemed  indigenous  to  their  very  nature. 

As  a  matter  of  botanical  interest  I  observed  the  frequency 
with  which  th'^  wild  Phoenix  occurs  in  the  low  district  all 
around  Ngoly.  Most  probably  this  is  the  parent-stock  of  the 
date-palm;  the  time  in  which  its  fruit  is  here  ripe  is  the 
month  of  July. 

Up  betimes  on  the  morning  of  our  third  day's  march,  I 
took  my  place  at  the  front  of  our  caravan,  close  behind  the 

Vol.  I.— 30 


428 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


standard-bearer,  in  the  hope  of  getting  near  enough  to  secure 
a  shot  at  some  hartebeest  that  might  be  taken  by  surprise. 
In  the  woods  the  animals  could  be  seen  in  numbers  as  great 
as  on  the  previous  evening ;  they  skulked  behind  the  black 
stems  of  the  trees,  keeping  a  vigilant  look-out,  but  as  soon  as 
anyone  attempted  to  leave  the  procession  and  approach  them, 
oft'  they  were  with  a  bound,  and  scampering  away  in  a  zigzag 
career,  regained  the  wilderness. 

For  a  full  hour  the  way  proceeded  through  the  wood,  and 
then  we  entered  a  low-lying  steppe  which  brought  us  to  the 
running  water  of  the  little  river  Teh  or  Tee.  As  we  ap- 
proached we  saw  a  herd  of  buffaloes  betake  themselves  to 
Hight,  and,  snorting  and  brandishing  their  tails,  dash  into  the 
stream ;  these  brutes,  however,  are  here  as  elsewhere  quite 
easily  surprised  by  an  adept.  Flowing  rather  rapidly,  the 
Teh  is  between  twenty  and  thirty  feet  in  breadth,  and  passes 
along  wooded  banks  which  gave  me  my  first  introduction  to 
the  flora  of  the  Niam-niam.  The  botanical  treasures  of  this 
district,  I  may  venture  perhaps  to  call  the  *'  bank  or  gallery 
flora,"  in  contradistinction  to  that  extensive  class  of  vegetation 
which  predominates  over  the  wide  steppes  around.  Large 
Scitaminem  contribute  an  essential  feature,  and  there  is  an 
Oncoba  which  bears  upon  its  leafless  wood  blossoms  that 
are  conspicuous  for  their  numerous  stamens.  This  Oncoba 
is  here  found  in  its  most  northerly  abode,  but  its  growth  is 
wide-spread  as  far  as  Benguela. 

Unfortunately  there  was  little  leisure  for  me  to  enjoy  this 
attractive  entree  to  the  flora  of  the  land.  We  had  to  hurry 
on,  and  passed  quickly  into  a  region  where  the  tall  unburnt 
grass  made  the  route  indistinguishable  to  all  but  an  expert, 
and  where  it  was  impossible  to  see  more  than  a  few  paces  in 
advance. 

By  perseverance  we  reached  a  bare  and  extensive  rocky 
plain  developing  itself  into  the  depression  of  a  valley  along 
which  the  stream  of  the  Mongolongboh  cuts  its  winding 


VALLEY  OF  THE  MONGOLONGBOH.  429 

path.  The  rock  is  all  composed  of  red  ironstone,  very 
frequently  of  that  coarse  and  large-grained  quality  •  which 
is  technically  known  as  roe-stone.  These  flats  of  red  rock 
are  common  all  through  the  districts  south  of  the  great 
alluvial  territory  of  the  Dinka  which  is  watered  by  the 
Gazelle  and  its  various  tributaries.  They  are  often,  for 
leagues  together,  level  as  the  surface  of  a  table,  scarcely  ever 
revealing  a  rift,  and  very  rarely  worn  away  into  hollows. 
When,  however,  any  of  these  depressions  are  found,  they 
are  always  sure  to  be  full  of  most  interesting  specimens  of  a 
periodic  vegetation. 

Our  next  halting-place  was  close  by  the  water-side  under 
the  shade  of  some  noble  trees,  in  which  a  merry  troop  of 
monkeys  were  frisking.  As  we  arrived  before  midday,  I 
had  an  opportunity  of  taking  a  ramble  in  the  neighbourhood. 
For  some  miles  round,  the  region  was  entirely  uninhabited, 
and  the  utmost  desolation  prevailed.  None  of  the  traces  of 
any  previous  occupation  could  be  seen — none,  I  mean,  of  the 
peculiar  weeds  which  will  survive  where  there  has  been  any 
cultivation  ;  everywhere  there  was  only  bush  wood  and  steppe, 
except  just  in  the  spots  where  the  stone  flats  were  on  the 
surface  or  where  the  ground  rose  into  hills,  enclosing  the 
valley  along  which  the  Mongolongboh  wound  its  course. 
There  was  a  fine  panorama  of  the  vale  from  the  top  of  the 
hills,  and  many  a  group  of  antelopes  enlivened  the  general 
stillness  of  the  scene.  My  attention  was  arrested  by  a  plant 
which  was  new  to  me  and  characteristic  of  the  region ;  this 
was  the  little  Protea,  which  occasionally  formed  complete 
hedges,  bearing  a  resemblance  to  the  class  of  vegetation 
which  is  found  in  the  south  of  Africa,  but  which  is  very 
rarely  met  with  in  any  northern  portion  of  the  continent. 

Ahmed,  the  temporary  leader  of  our  caravan,  had  made 
arrangements  to  start  again  immediately  after  noon,  at  the 
same  time  announcing  that  we  could  not  expect  to  be  able 
to  reach  any  place  supplied  with  water  at  which  we  could 


430 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


pass  the  next  night.  This  statement  was  quite  contrary  to 
the  declaration  of  those  who  knew  the  way,  and  on  the 
following  day  was  refuted.  Ahmed,  however,  persisted  in 
his  opinion,  and,  in  his  own  Nubian  fashion,  said  that  he 
was  ready  to  be  pronounced  a  liar  by  any  one  who  could 
disprove  the  truth  of  what  he  said.  Wranglings  of  this  sort 
went  on  day  after  day,  and  occasioned  me  some  disquietude 
and  misgiving. 

A  gathering  storm  compelled  us  to  put  forth  all  our 
energies,  by  way  of  precaution,  to  protect  the  baggage. 
The  dark  clouds  rolled  towards  us,  and  the  encampment 
was  all  bustle  and  alarm.  By  good  chance,  however,  the 
storm  passed  on  over  our  heads,  and  we  had  only  a  few 
heavy  drops  of  rain.  Since  the  end  of  last  November  this 
was  the  first  day  on  which  any  rain  at  all  had  fallen.  As 
often  as  we  were  threatened  with  wet,  and  time  did  not 
permit  us  to  erect  our  tent,  I  made  my  baggage  as  secure 
as  I  could,  by  piling  wood  and  layers  of  stone  upon  it,  and 
covering  the  whole  with  great  sheets  of  waterproof  twill. 

Long  before  sunrise  on  the  1st  of  February  we  had 
quitted  our  encampment,  hastening  our  movements  through 
a  fear,  which  was  altogether  groundless,  of  there  being  a 
deficiency  of  water.  Encompassed  by  hills^  we  marched 
along  rising  ground,  and  by  the  time  that  the  morning 
light  had  dawned,  we  found  ourselves  at  an  elevation  of 
about  500  feet  above  the  valley  of  the  Mongolongboh,  and 
with  a  prospect  open  before  us  towards  the  south,  much 
more  extensive  than  we  had  hitherto  enjoyed.  The  ridges 
of  hills  ran  from  east  to  west,  and  the  peaks  right  and  left 
of  the  path  by  which  we  were  proceeding  were  called  by  our 
leaders  Mbala  Ngeea.  Looking  to  the  south  we  could  see 
a  thickly- wooded  vale  several  miles  across,  and  beyond  this 
were  two  terraces  diverging  towards  the  west,  which  were 
made  conspicuous  by  the  contrast  in  their  colour.  The  dark 
blue  ridges  which  were  more  remote  in  the  S.S.W.  were 


FOLIAGE  OF  KOBBO-TREES. 


431 


pointed  out  as  the  district  of  Nganye,  and  the  residence  of 
the  first  Niam-niam  chief  whom  we  should  have  to  visit. 
Before  us  in  the  valley  there  was  visible  the  low  gi-ound  of 
the  Lehssy,  which,  in  the  lower  part  of  its  course,  is  called 
Doggoroo  by  the  Bongo ;  whilst  only  separated  from  the 
Lehssy  by  a  range  of  little  hills,  there  was  still  beyond  the 
broad  and  fertile  valley  watered  by  the  Upper  Tondy,  which 
here  receives  the  name  of  the  Ibba.  Among  the  Bongo  its 
name  is  simply  Bah,  i.e.  the  river,  just  as  tlie  local  popu- 
lation of  Baghirmi  call  the  Shary,  a  further  evidence  of  the 
relationship  which  exists  between  the  people. 

We  now  descended  from  the  heights  and  arrived  at  the 
Mah,  of  which  the  flat  bed  caused  a  number  of  broad  pools  of 
water  to  obstruct  our  way.  This  was  the  water  that  gave 
the  lie  to  Ahmed's  statement.  Along  undulating  terraces 
we  next  reached  a  wood,  which  consisted  for  the  most  part  of 
wide  stretches  of  kobbo-trees  (Humholdtia),  which  gave  a  light 
but  welcome  shadiness  to  our  path.  The  height  attained 
by  these  Csesalpinese  is  generally  about  forty  feet.  They  are 
to  be  admired  for  their  fine  feathery  foliage,  and  for  the  size 
of  the  seed-vessels  which  hang  from  the  boughs.  During 
the  drought  of  the  winter  season,  when  the  herbage  was 
short,  or  had  altogether  perished  through  the  burning  of  the 
steppes,  they  sent  out  young  sprouts  graceful  as  the  main 
stem  itself,  which  were  a  charming  ornament  to  the  woods. 
The  colour  of  the  tender  leaves  sported  from  a  bright  moss- 
green  to  the  richest  purple,  each  leaflet  being  not  less  than 
two  feet  long.  The  magnitude  of  the  leaves  gives  a  peculiar 
feature  to  the  woods,  which  flourish  freely  on  the  upper 
terraces  of  the  district,  the  steppes  in  the  depressed  vale 
around  being  marshy  and  quite  destitute  of  trees. 

Making  a  fresh  ascent,  we  passed  upon  our  left  one  of 
those  insulated  elevations  of  gneiss  which  are  so  frequent 
in  these  regions,  and  which,  as  they  lie  scattered  and 
weather-beaten  over  the  plain,  have  all  the  indication  of 


432 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


being  the  remains  of  some  upheaving  of  the  hills  above  the 
general  level  of  the  ferruginous  swamp-ore  around.  The  shape 
which  these  islands  of  gneiss  most  generally  assume  is  that  of 
a  spherically-arched  mound,  here  about  200  feet  in  height ; 
and  of  this  I  saw  some  thirty  examples  in  different  parts  during 
the  course  of  my  wanderings.  A  group  of  stately  harte- 
beests  was  parading  upon  the  summit,  and  surveyed  from 
the  distance  of  half  a  league  the  progress  of  our  caravan  as 
it  wound  its  way  along  the  bushy  paths.  By  midday  we 
had  reached  the  Lehssy,  and  camped  upon  a  flat  of  gneiss 
which  the  waters  at  their  height  had  washed.  At  the 
present  season  of  the  year  the  stream  pursued  its  course 
beneath  the  soil,  but  it  had  left  a  considerable  number  of 
water-pools,  some  of  them  a  hundred  paces  long,  and  from 
forty  to  fifty  feet  wide,  which,  overhung  as  they  were  by 
shading  bushwood,  abounded  in  fish,  especially  barbel.  By 
means  of  small  shot  I  was  able  to  secure  a  good  many  of 
these ;  and  in  a  country  like  this  where  an  agricultural  life 
necessitates  a  residence  remote  from  the  river-plains,  and 
where  fresh  fish  is  with  difficulty  preserved  on  account  of 
the  heat,  such  a  catch  is  invaluable;  it  is  welcomed  as  a 
dainty,  and  makes  a  most  desirable  change  in  the  wearisome 
routine  of  the  daily  diet. 

The  splendid  Afzelia-trees  which  overshadowed  the  Lehssy 
gave  an  additional  charm  to  this  halting-place,  which  was 
abundantly  supplied  with  water  that  was  as  bright  as  it 
was  refreshing.  The  level  surface  of  the  gneiss  answered 
the  double  purpose  of  couches  on  which  to  sleep  and  tables 
on  which  to  eat.  Upon  the  shadowy  banks  one  of  the 
Anonacese,  the  Hexalobus,  grows  extensively,  exhibiting  its 
long  tufted  flowers,  and  breathing  forth  its  pungent  vanilla- 
like aroma ;  the  petals,  in  colour  and  appearance,  resemble 
little  fragments  of  tape-worm,  and  are  quite  unlike  any  other 
known  plant. 

Continually  was  the  repose  of  night  again  broken  by  the 


AN  EXHAUSTED  BEARER. 


433 


incessant  chattering  or  singing  of  the  Nubians,  who  ever 
chose  the  night-time  for  their  hilarity,  and  in  consequence 
were  all  day  long  as  sleepy  and  lazy  as  they  could  be.  All 
at  once,  when  everyone  was  asleep,  they  would  start  up,  and 
as  a  freak  fire  a  feu  de  joie,  startling  the  nocturnal  silence 
by  the  whistling  of  their  balls.  Even  the  negroes  did  not 
sleep  around  their  fires  undisturbed.  Under  cover  of  the 
night  every  one  took  care  to  look  after  his  own  individual 
needs,  and  to  enjoy  the  morsels  that  he  had  contrived  to 
gather  in  the  day-time;  and  many  a  tit-bit  carefully  con- 
cealed from  the  eyes  of  others  all  the  day,  was  secretly 
consumed  by  the  hungry  fellows  in  the  dead  of  night. 

On  the  following  morning  I  was  one  of  the  hindmost  of 
the  caravan,  and  proceeded  in  the  company  of  Ahmed,  our 
guide,  and  a  few  stragglers.  We  had  passed  two  or  three 
watercourses,  overhung  with  copse  wood  and  now  quite  dry, 
when  we  came  upon  a  Mittoo  bearer,  exhausted  by  his 
journey,  lying  by  the  wayside.  He  was  a  poor  withered, 
consumptive  creature,  and  seemed  as  if  he  were  pretty  near 
his  last  gasp.  The  other  bearers  had  taken  his  burden  from 
him,  and,  conscious  that  he  could  not  carry  it  farther,  had 
spoken  a  few  cheering  words  and  left  him  to  his  fate.  By 
a  fair  day's  walking  it  was  just  possible  he  might  regain  his 
home,  provided  he  could  keep  clear  of  the  prowling  lions  on 
his  way ;  but  lions,  it  is  known,  have  a  remarkable  scent  for 
a  poor  lone  and  helpless  man.  Let  a  poor  fellow  be  sick 
or  wounded,  and  he  incurs  a  double  danger.  Meanwhile,  the 
people  who  were  with  me  were  all  discussing  the  matter  in 
their  own  way;  they  could  not  agree  whether  the  poor 
wretch  were  really  ill,  or  whether  he  was  making  pretence, 
and  not  a  few  of  them  declared  that  no  sooner  would  he 
have  the  chance  than  he  would  be  off  homewards  as  nimbly 
as  a  hare.  Ahmed  at  this  point  put  in  his  w^ord,  and 
observed  that  a  day's  journey  farther  in  advance,  the  man 
would  never  have  ventured  upon  being  left  behind  by  his 


434 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


company,  for  fear  of  finding  his  way  to  the  caldrons  of  the 
Niam-niam.  This  observation  of  his  immediately  turned 
the  conversation  to  the  subject  of  the  cannibalism  of  that 
people,  of  which  I  was  far  from  being  convinced. 

I  mentioned  that  Piaggia  had  resided  a  whole  year  among 
the  Niam-niam  without  witnessing  a  single  instance  of  the 
practice.  Ahmed  replied  that  Piaggia  had  only  visited 
the  district  of  Tombo,  where  the  people  were  nothing  like 
so  bad  as  they  were  here  in  the  east,  and  he  asserted  that 
I  should  only  have  to  wait  for  a  few  days  before  proof  strong 
enough  would  be  opened  to  my  eyes.  He  went  so  far  as  to 
declare,  nay,  he  swore  hard  and  fast,  that  he  knew  a  case  in 
which  some  bearers,  who  had  died  from  fatigue  on  the  way, 
had  been  buried,  and  that  in  the  interval  of  his  going  and 
returning,  their  graves  had  been  reopened.  Naturally  I 
objected  to  this  statement,  that  only  the  day  before  he  had 
branded  himself  as  a  liar,  and  that  consequently  his  word 
deserved  no  confidence ;  he  persisted,  however,  in  his  affir- 
mation, and  went  on  to  argue  that  it  was  not  possible  that 
it  was  any  beast  that  had  disturbed  the  graves ;  stones  had 
been  removed  to  get  at  the  corpses  that  they  wanted. 
"Yes,"  he  added,  "and  I  have  myself  seen  them  eat  foul 
flesh, — vile,  stinking,  putrid  flesh ; "  and  as  he  spoke  he  made 
grimaces  so  horrid,  that  they  had  every  sign  of  being  the 
expression  of  a  sincere  abhorrence.  Poor  Ahmed!  I  can 
think  I  see  him  still  upon  those  rocks,  expressing  his 
emotion  by  the  gestures  of  his  hands.  I  can  even  now 
hear  the  vehemence  of  his  oaths.  Poor  Ahmed !  as  though 
he  were  to  be  the  very  first  of  victims  to  his  own  belief, 
within  a  few  weeks  he  fell  in  a  melee,  his  body  could  not  be 
found  on  the  scene  of  confiict,  and  where  should  it  by  any 
possibility  have  gone,  except  into  the  stomachs  of  the  Niam- 
niam? 

Farther  onwards  our  progress  was  very  much  impeded  by 
the  high  masses  of  dry  grass  which  had  escaped  destruction 


A  BATH  IN  THE  IBBA.  435 


when  the  steppes  were  burned.  In  the  path,  which  is  a 
mere  narrow  rift  in  the  steppes,  made  by  those  in  front 
forcing  themselves  through,  grass-stems  abound  so  hard 
and  firm,  that  they  are  as  unyielding  as  the  stubble  of  a 
sorghum-field,  and  make  a  most  disagreeable  obstruction 
in  the  way.  The  chain  of  hills  over  which  we  had  crossed 
the  day  before  constitutes  the  present  boundary  between  the 
hunting-grounds  of  the  Bongo  and  the  Niam-niara.  Indi- 
cations, however,  are  not  wanting  that  until  a  few  years  ago, 
the  country  quite  up  to  the  base  of  the  hills  had  been 
occupied  by  the  Niam-niam;  at  present  the  first  district  ^ 
of  this  people  is  reached  at  the  farther  bank  of  the  Ibba.- 
As  we  continued  our  march,  we  observed  a  number  of  half- 
burnt  posts  belonging  to  their  huts,  and  every  here  and 
there  amidst  the  grass,  there  were  the  remnants  of  the  great 
wooden  drums,  which  never  fail  in  any  village  of  this  people. 

At  noon  we  arrived  at  the  Ibba,  as  I  have  said  the  Upper 
Tondy  here  is  named.  About  a  hundred  feet  in  breadth, 
but  only  three  feet  deep,  it  offers  no  difficulty  in  the  way 
of  being  forded.  The  water  was  running  from  east  to  west 
at  the  rate  of  sixty  feet  a  minute,  and  many  blocks  of  gneiss 
were  lying  in  the  river-bed,  which  was  bounded  by  gradually 
ascending  banks.  1  found  some  deep  water  beneath  a  line 
of  overhanging  trees,  and  thoroughly  enjoyed  a  refreshing 
bath ;  it  was  my  mishap,  however,  to  experience  an  incon- 
venience which  occurred  to  me  again  more  than  once  in 
the  course  of  my  travels.  Half-an-hour  I  had  to  wait  for 
my  clothes,  which  had  been  carried  off  by  the  mistake  of 
one  of  my  servants,  and  taken  to  the  caravan.  In  my  posi- 
tion it  was  impossible  to  avoid  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and 
the  skin  of  an  European  is  too  sensitive  to  endure  without 
mischief  a  temperature  which  at  the  very  least  was  80°  Fahr. 
in  the  sha-de,  the  ordinary  heat  of  the  district  in  a  locality 
well  shaded,  but  quite  open  to  the  influence  of  the  wind. 

Upon  the  southern  side  of  the  river  were  the  first  culti- 


436  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

vated  lands  of  the  Niam-niam  that  we  had  yet  seen,  and 
which  at  that  time  were  lying  fallow.  Shortly  afterwards 
the  ground  suddenly  rose  for  some  hundred  feet.  The 
universal  Sorghum  is  here  the  prevailing  crop,  but  farther 
on  it  is  in  a  very  large  degree  replaced  by  Eleusine. 

We  next  found  ourselves  upon  the  territory  of  a  tolerably 
rich  chieftain,  named  Nganye,  who  was  on  very  friendly 
terms  with  Aboo  Sammat.  Meanwhile,  for  the  first  mile 
or  two  after  we  left  the  river,  we  observed  that  all  the 
inhabitants  vacated  their  abodes.  The  name  of  the  super- 
intendent of  the  district  was  Peneeo.  In  all  regions  like 
this,  where  the  greater  fear  happened  to  be  on  the  side  of 
the  natives,  the  same  beliaviour  was  repeated,  and  very  often 
was  accommodating  to  both  parties.  In  these  cases  the 
people  with  their  wives  and  children,  their  dogs  and  poultry, 
their  guitars,  their  baskets,  their  pots  and  pans,  and  all 
their  household  articles,  make  off  to  the  thickest  parts  of 
the  steppes,  which  have  been  spared  from  the  fire  and 
reserved  for  elephant  hunting;  there  they  hide  themselves 
in  an  obscurity  which  only  the  eye  of  a  bird  could  penetrate. 
It  will  not  rarely  happen  that  they  are  betrayed  simply  by 
the  cackling  of  their  fowls. 

Some  of  Mohammed's  soldiers,  who  had  been  sent-  on  in 
front,  returned  and  brought  us  tidings  of  welcome  from 
Nganye,  whose  residence  we  hoped  to  reach  on  the  following 
day.  We  found  ourselves,  however,  already  very  comfortable, 
as  Peneeo,  the  chief  of  the  district,  or  Behnky,*  had  like- 
wise, as  Nganye's  representative,  paid  us  his  compliments ; 
he  had  brought  a  supply  of  corn  for  the  bearers,  and  a  lot  of 
poultry  as  a  present  to  myself.  In  his  retinue  were  a  number 
of  men,  who,  although  they  were  not  unlike  the  score  of 
Niam-niam  that  I  had  seen  at  Sabby,  yet  here  in  their  own 
home  had  an  appearance  singularly  wild  and  warlike. 


♦  Behnky  has  the  French  pronunciation  of  "  bainqui." 


POPUKKY-GRASS.  437 

With  their  black  poodle  crops  of  hair,  and  the  eccentric  • 
tufts  and  pigtails  on  their  heads,  they  afforded  a  spectacle 
which  to  me  was  infinitely  novel  and  surprising.  Amongst 
the  hundreds  of  Bongo  and  Mittoo,  with  whom  the  Dinka 
were  associated  as  drovers,  these  creatures  stood  out  like 
beings  of  another  world;  here  were  genuine,  unmistakeable 
Niam-niam,  neither  circumcised  nor  crop-headed,  such  as 
other  travellers  have  seen  either  in  Khartoom  or  in  the 
Seribas ;  here  they  were,  presenting  all  the  features  of 
wildness  which  the  most  vivid  Oriental  imagination  could 
conceive;  a  people  of  a  marked  and  most  distinct  na- 
tionality, and  that  in  Africa  and  amongst  Africans  is  saying 
much. 

Pursuing  our  route  on  the  following  day,  we  passed  along 
a  country  that  was  veiy  undulated,  and  led  through  many 
deeply  cut  defiles  which  ran  down  to  the  river.  For  three 
leagues  we  kept  making  a  stiff  ascent  over  fallow  land,  until 
•we  arrived  at  the  settlement  of  Nganye.  In  consequence  of 
the  early  rains  and  that  which  had  fallen  in  the  previous 
night,  the  ground  had  become  quite  soft,  and  a  multitude  of 
those  plants  which  put  forth  their  blossoms  before  their 
leaves  had  sprouted  up.  Grass  so  strong  and  so  thick  I 
have  never  elsewhere  seen,  as  what  I  saw  in  this  region. 
Subsequently  I  penetrated  much  farther  on,  and  saw  the 
high  grass  of  the  southern  districts  in  the  height  of  the  rainy 
season,  but  on  returning  in  the  month  of  June,  I  could  not 
suppress  my  astonishment  at  the  enormous  growth  which 
here  the  grass  attained.  The  dry  stalks,  in  their  height 
and  thickness  like  reeds  on  a  river-bank,  are  intentionally 
protected  by  the  natives  from  destruction  when  the  steppes 
are  burned :  and  whenever  there  seems  a  chance  of  drivino- 
up  a  herd  of  elephants,  the  steppe-burning  is  only  partial, 
and  done  in  patches.  The  strongest  of  these  permanent 
grasses  is  a  species  of  panicum  which  the  Niam-niam  call 
"  popukky."    The  haulm  of  this  attains  a  height  of  fifteen 


438 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


feet,  and  becomes  almost  as  hard  as  wood,  and  as  thick  as 
a  man's  finger.  Cut  crosswise  its  section  is  not  circular,  but 
a  compressed  oval,  its  colour  being  a  bright  golden  yellow. 
At  its  lower  end  it  is  not  hollow  like  a  reed,  but  quite 
compact  in  substance,  and  if  I  wanted  to  make  pipe-stems 
of  it,  I  was  obliged  first  of  all  to  bore  right  through  its 
length.  Of  this  popukky  the  Niam-niam  construct  some 
very  serviceable  doors  for  their  huts,  and  some  mats,  which 
they  lay  upon  the  ground  and  use  for  beds. 

Whenever  masses  of  grass  of  this  nature  are  set  on  fire, 
the  elephants  have  no  possible  escape  from  certain  death. 
The  destruction  is  carried  on  by  wholesale.  Thousands  of 
huntsmen  and  drivers  are  gathered  together  from  far  and 
wide  by  means  of  signals  sounded  on  the  huge  wooden  drums. 
Everyone  who  is  capable  of  bearing  arms  at  all  is  converted 
into  a  huntsman,  just  as  everyone  becomes  a  soldier  "^hen 
the  national  neeS  demands.  No  resource  for  escape  is  left 
to  the  poor  brutes.  Driven  by  the  flames  into  masses,  they 
huddle  together  young  arui  old,  they  cover  their  bodies  with 
grass,  on  which  they  pump  water  from  their  trunks  as  long 
as  they  can,  but  all  in  vain.  They  are  ultimately  either 
suffocated  by  the  clouds  of  smoke,  or  overpowered  by  the 
heat,  or  are  so  miserably  burnt  that  at  last  and  ere  long 
they  succumb  to  the  cruel  fate  that  has  been  designed  for 
them  by  ungrateful  man.  The  coup  de  grace  may  now  and 
then  be  given  them  by  the  blow  of  some  ready  lance,  but 
too  often,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  tusks  that  are  bought, 
the  miserable  beasts  must  have  perished  in  the  agonies  of  a 
death  by  fire.  A  war  of  annihilation  is  this,  in  which  neither 
young  nor  old,  neither  the  female  nor  the  male,  is  spared, 
and  in  its  indiscriminate  slaughter  it  compels  us  sorrow- 
fully to  ask  and  answer  the  question  '  Cui  bono  ?  "  No  other 
reply  seems  possible  but  what  is  given  by  the  handles  of  our 
walking-sticks,  our  billiard  balls,  our  pianoforte  keys,  our 
combs  and  our  fans,  and  other  unimportant  articles  of  this 


ARRIVAL  AT  A  MBANGA. 


439 


kind.  No  wonder,  therefore,  if  this  noble  creature,  whose 
services  might  be  so  invaluable  to  man,  should  even,  perhaps 
some  time  during  our  own  generation,  be  permitted  to  rank 
in  the  category  of  the  things  that  have  heen,  and  to  be  as 
extinct  as  the  ure-ox,  the  sea-cow^  or  the  dodo. 

Fatiguing  enough  we  found  our  progress  through  the 
towering  grass.    The  path  was  narrow,  and  it  was  very  neces- 


Niam-niaru  in  lull  dre»s. 


sary  to  plant  one's  foot  firmly  upon  the  stalks  to  avoid 
stumbling  on  the  way.  At  length  towards  noon  we  arrived 
at  the  head-quarters  of  the  chieftain,  a  residence  which,  in 
the  language  of  the  country,  is  called  his  "  mbanga." 

1  found  myself  at  once  encircled  by  the  natives,  who  came 
streaming  in  to  see  for  themselves  the  white  man  of  whom 


440 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


already  they  had  heard  so  much.  It  was  my  own  first  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  Niam-niam  in  the  reality  of  their  natural 
life.  As  became  a  people  with  whom  hunting  is  a  prominent 
feature  in  their  pursuits,  they  were  girded  with  skins.  High 
upon  their  extensively-dressed  hair  they  wore  straw- hats 
covered  with  feathers  and  cowries,  and  fastened  on  by  means 
of  long  bodkins  of  iron  or  copper.  Their  chocolate-coloured 
skin  was  painted  in  stripes,  like  those  of  the  tiger,  with  the 
juice  of  the  Blippo  {Gardenia  mallei/era). 

Whilst  I  was  reposing  beneath  an  awning  that  had  been 
put  up  as  a  shelter  from  the  sun,  the  natives  bestowed  upon 


Coiffure  of  Uie  Niam-niam. 


me  such  a  prolonged  and  decided  stare  that  I  had  ample 
opportunity  for  transferring  a  few  of  their  portraits  to  my 
sketch-book*    In  the  early  evening  I  paid  my  respects  to 


*  Tlie  portraits  here  presented  are  those  of  two  dandies,  named"  Wcnnepai 
and  Sehngba. 


COURT  OF  A  NIAM-NIAM  POTENTATE. 


441 


Nganye,  the  resident  prince.  His  abode  consisted  of  a  col- 
lection of  huts,  some  larger  than  others,  which  he  had 
assigned  to  his  body-guard,  and  to  the  wives  and  children  of 
his  closest  associates.  The  mbanga  of  a  prince  may  be 
known  at  once  by  the  numerous  shields  that  are  hung  upon 
the  trees  and  posts  in  its  vicinity,  and  by  the  troop  of  picked 
men,  fully  equipped,  who  act  as  sentinels,  and  are  at  hand 
night  and  day  to  perform  any  requisite  service.  Military 
expeditions,  surprises,  conspiracies  for  murder,  are  here  the 
order  of  the  day,  but  frequently  other  and  better  employ- 
ments will  arise  to  engage  them — as,  for  instance,  when  the 
discovery  is  announced  that  a  herd  of  elephants  is  in 
the  neighbourhood.  Then  the  signals  must  be  sounded,  and 
everyone  without  delay  must  be  summoned,  the  occurrence 
being  recognised  as  of  national  importance,  for  there  is  the 
chance  of  securing  many  hundredweights  of  ivory,  and  per- 
chance ten  times  the  weight  of  meat. 

The  shields  are  woven  in  pretty  patterns  of  intermingled 
black  and  white,  and  are  lined  with  royal  leopard-skins. 
They  are  fastened  by  means  of  an  iron  knob  on  the  inner 
side  to  the  "trumbash"  (an  iron  missile  with  three  large 
projections),  and  altogether  form  really  a  striking  sight. 

Very  modest  in  its  pretensions  was  the  court  of  this  negro 
prince,  and  it  had  little  to  distinguish  it  from  the  huts  of  the 
ordinary  mortals  who  had  their  homes  around.  The  huts 
were  circular,  and  had  conical  roofs  which  were  unusually 
high  and  pointed,  and  were  probably  constructed  to  throw 
off  the  rain  outside,  as  well  as  to  allow  for  the  dispersion  of 
the  smoke  which  was  caused  by  the  fire  below.  Surrounded 
by  a  dozen  women,  who  with  some  household  slaves  super- 
intended the  tillage  of  the  royal  domain,  Nganye  had  every 
appearance  of  enjoyiug  a  peaceful — nay,  it  may  be  said,  an 
idyllic — existence. 

I  found  him  perfectly  naked  except  for  a  little  apron  that 
he  wore.    He  was  sitting  on  a  Monbuttoo  stool,  quite  un- 


442 


THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 


armed,  and  with  no  insignia  whatever  of  his  rank.  There 
were,  indeed,  some  twenty  or  thirty  natives  who  were  armed 
and  kept  guard  in  the  outer  court,  but  apart  from  this  any 
pretension  to  state  was  entirely  wanting.  By  means  of  my 
two  interpreters  I  contrived  to  keep  up  a  long  conversation 
which  I  found  interesting  enough.  I  was  made  acquainted 
without  reserve  with  all  the  details  of  Nganye's  family,  and 
with  all  the  particulars  of  his  home  administration.  It  was 
much  that  I  came  to  him  as  a  friend  of  Aboo  Sammat's. 
Aboo  Sammat  was  to  him  a  friendly  neighbour,  who  brought 
to  him  as  his  chief  an  annual  contribution  of  copper,  beads, 
and  stuffs;  and  the  prince  in  return  stored  up  for  Aboo 
Sammat's  purchase  all  the  ivory  which  the  year's  exertions 
had  secured.  As  regarded  my  own  native  land  he  did  not 
exhibit  the  remotest  curiosity;  concerning  the  design  and 
object  of  my  journey  no  particle  of  interest  betrayed  itself  in 
anything  that  he  said  nor  in  any  question  that  he  asked ; 
and  a  similar  remark  may  be  made  with  respect  to  all 
the  chieftains  with  whom  I  happened  to  be  brought  in 
contact.  As  everywhere  else  in  Africa,  a  welcome  is  here 
given  by  reaching  out  the  right  hand;  the  middle  fingers 
are  joined  and  jerked  together  until  thay  snap  and  crack 
again. 

Whilst  the  cannibal  magnate  and  myself  were  thus  in 
solemn  conference,  and  were  ever  regarding  one  another 
with  that  reverence  which  befits  the  representatives  of  noble 
communities,  my  retinue  was  being  entertained  with  roast 
buffalo  meat  served  up  in  pretty  carved  dishes.  There  was 
nothing  palatable  that  could  have  been  placed  before  me, 
and  although  Nganye,  as  subsequently  Wando  and  Munza, 
accepted  food  from  me,  I  never  did  from  them.  It  is  ex- 
tremely unusual  for  Nubians  and  natives  to  take  any  meals 
in  common,  not  so  much  from  any  religious  scruple,  but 
simply  because  it  has  never  been  the  custom.  In  front  of 
me,  however,  was  placed  a  great  clay  vessel  with  four  necks 


EFFECT  OF  RAIN. 


443 


full  of  Niam-niam  beer  brewed  from  eleusine,  which  my 
Nubians  enjoyed  thoroughly  as  being  stronger  than  anything 
they  can  get  in  their  own  country. 

I  presented  Nganye  with  a  great  many  necklaces  of 
garnet-beads  of  the  kind  which  had  been  prepared  for  the 
East  Indian  market.  My  own  collection  included  no  sorts 
except  those  which  were  quite  novel  in  this  country,  having 
been  provided  not  at  all  for  the  purpose  of  merchandise,  but 
with  the  express  object  of  making  presents.  Out  of  com- 
pliment to  me,  Nganye  always  wore  my  gifts  as  long  as  we 
remained  in  his  locality,  but,  in  the  same  way  as  other  chief- 
tains, he  at  other  times  systematically  abstained  from  adorn- 
ing himself  with  any  foreign  trinkets. 

On  the  night  of  the  3rd  of  February  some  rain  again  fell, 
but  it  was  not  heavy  enough  to  penetrate  the  grarss  coverings 
that  we  had  improvised  for  our  baggage.  This  was  the  third 
occasion  on  which  we  had  now  had  rain,  and  although  the 
fall  had  been  very  insignificant,  in  fact  scarcely  a  quarter  of 
an  inch,  yet  the  effect  was  so  great  as  to  be  almost  magical. 
Its  influence  alike  upon  the  thirsty  earth  and  withered 
steppes  was  very  wondrous,  and  the  sprouting  stalks  of  grass 
bore  ample  witness  to  the  invigoration  that  it  brought. 

A  broad  valley,  alternately  steppe  and  cultivated  land, 
spread  itself  out  around  the  residence  of  Nganye,  and  through 
its  midst  there  wound  a  watercourse  which  now  was  dry. 
Over  this  we  made  out  way  ;  and  mounting  the  opposite 
acclivity,  proceeded  one  league  onwards  to  the  west,  thus  for 
the  time  reversing  our  previous  progress.  Black  and  barren 
were  the  burnt  steppes  at  this  season,  when  the  elephant- 
hunting  was  all  over,  and  they  were  unrelieved  as  yet  by  any 
vegetation.  Literally  our  feet  trod  upon  the  embers  of  the 
burnt  grass,  very  much  to  the  detriment  of  my  own  white 
costume,  and  involving  a  large  consumption  of  my  soap  that 
iiad  been  so  laboriously  procured  from  oil  of  sesame,  burnt 
wood,  and  oyster-shells.    Around  the  base  of  the  charred 

Vol.  I.— 31 


444 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


bushes  there  were  little  lines  of  green  where  the  young 
sprouting  herbage  broke  through  the  earth,  and  now  and 
then  some  opening  blossom  would  give  an  unexpected  beauty 
to  the  scene.  It  almost  seemed  as  if  these  early-blooming 
children  of  Flora  had  been  waiting  for  a  few  drops  of  the 
rain  that  they  might  escape  from  the  womb  with  the  rem- 
nant of  the  sap  which  it  had  yet  to  give.  Upon  the  general 
gloomy  aspect  of  the  landscape  these  rare  scattered  blooms 
of  course  could  make  no  impression ;  it  was  needful  to  seek 
for  them,  and  bend  low  to  find  them ;  they  were  modest  as 
the  violet  which  seems  to  hide  itself  by  the  wayside,  and  yet 
has  charm  enough  to  detain  the  passer-by. 

A  charming  walk  of  two  leagues  and  a  half  brought  us  to 
a  subsidiary  holding  of  Nganye's,  named  after  its  superin- 
tendent Gumba.  The  villages  of  the  district  were  abundant 
in  corn,  and  afforded  too  welcome  a  chance  for  the  hungry 
bearers  to  resist  making  there  their  halting-place ;  the  pro- 
spect, moreover,  of  brimming  beer-flasks  had  its  wonted  attrac- 
tion with  the  Nubians.  The  goal  was  full  in  yiew ;  a  little 
ridge  of  hills  beckoned  hospitably  from  afar,  and  immediately 
beyond  were  the  broad  acres  of  cultivated  land  which  be- 
longed to  Gumba. 

A  region  was  this  which  rarely  failed  to  supply  charming 
halting*-places,  and  we  could  take  our  noontide  rest  in  shady 
yet  breezy  positions  beneath  the  spreading  trees.  The 
tamarind,  however,  which  hitherto  had  thrown  over  us  its 
■pleasant  canopy  during  our  way  along  the  lonely  desert,  now 
failed  entirely,  and  I  saw  it  again  no  further  to  the  south ; 
so  also  Mungo  Park's  butter-tree,  which  had  been  so  pro- 
minent a  feature  upon  the  red  soil  of  the  Bongo  and  the 
Dyoor,  now  disappeared  completely  from  the  scene ;  but  on 
the  other  hand  there  were  here  displayed  as  much  as  in  the 
northern  latitudes  the  Parkia,  the  Afzelia,  the  Vitex,  the  fig, 
and  the  Khaya,  whilst  with  these  there  were  intermingled 
many  new  and  striking  forms  of  incomparable  beauty. 


of  the 

ity  of  ilMt. 


A  NIAM  NIAM  MINSTREL. 


COLOCASI^. 


445 


The  country  liereabout  was  tolerably  secure,  the  Niam- 
niam  being  desirous  to  secure  Aboo  Sammat's  friendship  in 
order  to  ward  off  any  mischief  that  might  arise  from  the 
dangerous  neighbourhood  of  Sabby.  I  considered  it  suffi- 
ciently safe  to  venture  upon  a  little  tour,  attended  only  by 
my  two  Niam-niam  servants.  Directing  my  steps  to  the 
hill,  I  found  that  it  was  only  like  a  hundred  others,  a  pile  of 
brown  roe-stone,  and  apart  from  the  open  panorama  it 
afforded,  it  possessed  no  interest  at  all.  All  along  I  gathered 
weeds  and  plants  in  ever-fresh  variety. 

Making  at  length  our  halt  at  a  hamlet,  my  two  companions 
drew  my  attention  to  a  valuable  production  of  their  laud. 
Underneath  one  of  the  granaries,  which  was  supported  in  the 
usual  way  upon  posts,  was  a  great  pile  of  firmly-pressed  clay. 
On  this  an  old  woman  was  hammering  with  the  pestle  belong- 
ing to  ber  mortar,  and  having  knocked  a  hole,  she  drew  out 
some  tubers  of  a  kind  that  I  did  not  recognise.  I  afterwards 
found  that  it  was  the  Colocasia,  which  is  cultivated  very 
freely  throughout  the  Niam-niam  country,  and  which  when 
boiled  makes  a  very  excellent  vegetable.  The  thick  covering 
of  clay  is  put  over  them  not  only  to  keep  them  moist  in  the 
dry  season,  but  also  to  defend  them  from  the  ravages  of  rats, 
worms,  and  white  ants.  Whenever  any  of  the  tubers  are 
required  it  is  only  needful  to  knock  a  hole  through  the  clay, 
which  can  be  plastered  up  again  with  a  few  handfuls  of  fresh 
mud.  The  same  plan  is  also  adopted  in  the  rainy  season  to 
protect  the  crops  from  damp  and  rot ;  thus  clay,  everywhere 
abundant,  is  an  universal  antidote  to  the  violence  of  nature. 

As  the  darkness  came  on,  our  camp  was  enlivened  by  the 
appearance  of  the  grotesque  figure  of  a  singer,  who  came 
with  a  huge  bunch  of  feathers  in  his  hat,  and  these,  as  he 
wagged  his  head  to  the  time  of  his  music,  became  all  entangled 
with  the  braids  of  his  hair.  Altogether  the  head  was  like 
the  head  of  Medusa.  These  "  minne-singers "  among  the 
Niam-niam  are  known  as  "  nzangah."    They  are  as  sparing 


446 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


of  their  voices  as  a  worn-out  jprima  donna  ;  except  for  those 
close  by,  it  is  impossible  to  hear  what  they  are  singing. 
Their  instrument  is  the  local  guitar,  the  thin  jingling  of 
which  accords  perfectly  well  with  the  nasal  humming  of  the 
minstrel's  recitative.  The  occupation  of  these  nzangah, 
however,  notwithstandiug  the  general  love  of  the  people  for 
music,  would  not  appear  to  be  held  in  very  high  esteem,  as 
the  same  designation  is  applie  1  to  those  unfortunate  women, 
friendless  and  fallen,  who  are  never  absent  from  any  com- 
munity. Quite  contrary  to  the  practice  of  the  neighbouring 
tribes,  they  have  nothing  to  do  with  boisterous  music,  and 
only  use  their  drums  and  horns  for  the  purpose  of  signals. 
The  minstrelsy  of  the  Niam-niam  may  be  said  to  have  the 
character  of  a  lover's  whisper. 

Starting  again  and  proceeding  to  the  south,  after  an 
agreeable  walk  of  about  three  hours,  we  arrived  at  the 
quarters  of  Bendo,  a  brother  of  Nganye,  who  had  set  him  in 
charge  of  one  of  his  best  and  most  populous  districts.  The 
homesteads  were  all  scattered  over  a  wide  and  well-cultivated 
area,  which  extended  with  a  northerly  aspect  along  the 
declivity  of  an  elevation  of  gneiss  that  rose  to  an  altitude 
of  about  200  feet.  This  hill  was  named  Gumango  ;  before 
we  reached  it  we  had  to  cross  a  considerable  stream  called 
the  Rye,  which  throughout  the  year  is  always  flowing. 
Uninfluenced  hitherto  by  the  rain,  its  breadth  was  now  about 
forty  feet,  and  its  depth  was  sufficient  to  allow  us  to  enjoy  a 
pleasant  bath  at  a  spot  where  it  ran  beneath  the  shelter  of 
some  thick  Fsychotrise.  Tall  popukky  grass  covered  the 
banks,  amidst  which  the  splendid  Nathalia,  with  its  blossoms 
fine  as  those  of  a  horse-chestnut,  rose  in  all  its  beauty.  The 
whole  region,  on  either  side  the  stream,  was  well  cultivated, 
and  look  whichever  way  we  would,  we  saw  groups  of  farm- 
steads, although  villages,  in  our  sense  of  the  term,  did  not 
exist. 

Each  family  resides  close  to,  if  not  actually  upon,  the 


GKOYE  OF  ZAWA-TREES. 


447 


land  it  cultivates.  The  insecurity  of  property  is  everywhere 
so  great,  that  rather  than  relinquish  their  incessant  watch 
over  their  crops,  the  people  submit  to  many  inconveniences 
and  live  far  away  from  watercourses,  put  up  with  short 
supply  of  firewood,  and  brave  the  ravages  of  the  white  ants. 
Hostility,  in  this  land,  does  not  simply  mean  plunder  and 
escape ;  the  enemy  is  vengeful,  and  if  he  can  carry  nothing 
off,  will  damage  all  he  finds,  and  destroy  the  rising  crops. 

The  Rye  empties  itself  into  the  river  Sway,  as  the  Dyoor 
is  termed  by  the  Niam-niam,  although  by  the  Bongo  and 
Dyoor  it  is  called  the  Geddy.  Close  to  the  rising  eminence 
of  Gumango,  the  Rye  upon  its  left  shore  receives  a  consider- 
able stream  flowing  from  the  marshy  plains,  along  the  banks 
of  which  are  scattered  numerous  farmsteads  surrounded  by 
plantains.  This  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen  the  Musa 
sajoientium  in  any  quantities ;  just  beyond  the  Nile  district 
in  the  Monbuttoo  country  it  becomes  the  very  staple  of  the 
people's  food.  The  cultivation  of  the  plantain  seems  to 
be  a  speciality  of  all  the  equatorial  regions  of  Africa,  from 
Uganda  on  Lake  Ukerewe  right  away  to  the  western  lands 
on  the  Gaboon  and  Ogowai. 

Our  encampment  had  been  made  to  the  north-east  of 
Gumango  in  a  great  grove  of  Zawa  trees  (Lophira  alata).  Of 
this  tree  very  few  detached  specimens  are  met  with.  It 
belongs  to  a  class  which  flourishes  beyond  the  range  of  the 
woods  of  the  river  banks,  and  will  grow  on  a  tolerably  dry 
soil.  Very  noble  is  it  in  its  growth,  and  so  fine,  that  Colonel 
Grant  has  pronounced  it  to  be  the  fairest  memorial  of  his 
famous  tour.  Its  bark  is  jet  black,  and  it  has  a  cylindrical 
crown  of  narrow  quivering  leaves,  which  vary  in  length  from 
a  foot  to  a  foot  and  a  half,  whilst  their  breadth  is  rarely  a 
couple  of  inches.  Whilst  it  is  young  the  colour  of  the  foliage 
is  purple,  which  subsequently  changes  to  a  deep  sap-green. 
Every  leaf  is  of  a  leathery  texture,  deeply  wrinkled,  and  its 
surface  smooth  as  if  it  were  varnished.    The  blossoms  repose 


448 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


in  thick  masses  upon  the  extremities  of  the  boughs  ;  in  colour 
they  resemble  those  of  the  tea-tree,  and  emit  a  fragrant  odour 
'sweet  as  roses.  It  is  one  of  the  most  serviceable  productions 
of  the  country,  as  its  fruit,  which  is  about  as  large  as  a  hazel- 
nut, yields  a  prolific  supply  of  oil,  of  which  the  quality  is 
singularly  pure,  while  it  is  neither  rank  in  smell  nor  coarse 
in  taste.  For  my  own  part  I  much  prefer  the  oil  that  is 
thus  obtained  to  either  that  of  the  oil-palm,  or  of  the  butter- 
tree. 

All  the  morning  I  pursued  my  botanising  on  the  river 
Rye,  and  all  the  afternoon  upon  the  sides  and  summits  of 
Gumango.  The  arched  surface  of  the  rising  mound  of  gneiss, 
stretching  out  without  a  rift,  was  the  habitat  of  several  very 
interesting  ferns.  Here  I  found  the  first  specimen  of  JEnce- 
jphalartus  which  had  ever  been  discovered  in  the  northern 
latitudes  of  Africa.  The  joy  of  this  surprise  was  no  transient 
thing ;  but  as  often  as  the  eye  of  the  collector  glances  over 
the  treasures  he  has  brought  from  afar,  it  surveys  a  perma- 
nent memorial  of  his  successful  tour.  The  Ensete  or  wild 
Musa  of  Africa,  which  the  Niam-niam  call  the  Boggumboly  " 
(or  little  plantain)  grows  likewise  in  great  abundance  upon 
this  interesting  hill. 

As  surveyed  from  the  summit"  of  Gumango,  the  country, 
with  the  variegated  colours  of  its  cultivated  enclosures, 
exhibited  a  thoroughly  European  aspect.  Ploughed  fields 
are  nowhere  to  be  seen,  but  the  labour  is  limited  to  clearing 
out  the  weeds,  and  loosening  the  surface  of  the  mould  to 
receive  the  fine-grained  eleusine,  which  no  doubt  requires 
more  care  than  sorghum,  which  latter  is  sown  broadcast. 

All  the  farmsteads  at  this  time  had  been  deserted  by  their 
occupants,  who  had  gone  away  and  abandoned  their  well- 
stored  granaries.  Compared  to  the  number  of  residences  the 
store  of  provisions  was  very  great,,  especially  when  the 
advanced  season  of  the  year  is  taken  into  account,  for  April 
was  the  month  in  which  the  new  seeds  should  be  planted 


NIAM-NIAM  HUTS. 


449 


out.  One  with  another  the  huts  had  three  granaries  each, 
two  of  which  were  full  of  eleusine  in  its  original  condition, 
the  remaining  one  being  devoted  to  the  same  grain  after  it 
had  been  malted. 

Everything  testified  to  the  fruitfulness  of  the  soil.  Sweet- 
potatoes,  yams,  and  colocasise  were  piled  up  in  heaps,  and 
our  hungry  Bongo  and  Mittoo  fell  upon  them  as  though  they 
liad  entered  a  hostile  country.  The  receptacles  for  corn, 
being  circular  erections  of  clay,  supported  on  posts,  and 
furnished  with  a  covering  which  lifted  up  and  down  like  a 
lid,  were  soon  emptied,  and  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
our  quarters  was  like  a  scene  of  rapine  and  plunder. 

The  arrangements  of  the  Niam-niam  huts  are  much  the 
same  throughout  the  land.  Two,  or  at  most  three,  families 
reside  close  together.  Generally  from  eight  to  twelve  huts 
are  clustered  round  one  common  open  space,  which  is  kept  per- 
fectly clean,  and  in  the  centre  of  which  is  reared  a  post  upon 
which  the  trophies  of  the  chase  are  hung.  Skulls  of  the  rarest 
kind,  splendid  horns  of  antelopes  and  buffaloes,  are  attached  to 
this  standard,  and,  it  must  be  added,  skulls  of  men  and  withered 
hands  and  feet !  Close  in  the  rear  of  the  huts,  upon  the  level 
ground,  were  the  magazines  for  corn ;  behind  these  would  be 
seen  a  circle  of  Kokko  fig-trees,  which  are  only  found  in 
cultivated  spots,  and  the  bark  of  which  is  prized,  far  more 
than  the  handsomest  of  skins,  as  a  material  to  make  into 
clothing.  Further  in  the  background  might  be  noticed  a 
perfect  enclosure  of  paradise  figs ;  then  in  wider  circum- 
ference the  plantations  of  manioc  and  maize ;  and,  lastly, 
the  outlying  fields  of  eleusine  extending  to  the  compound 
next  beyond.  I  sketched  several  of  the  huts,  which  are 
embellished  externally  with  black  and  white  decorations. 
Several  of  the  dwellings  had  roofs  which  rose  upwards  in 
two  points;  long  poles  projected  from  the  peaks  alike  of 
huts  and  of  granaries,  and  on  these  were  strung  rows  of  great 
land-snails  (Achatina). 


450 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFEICA. 


After  some  time  we  found  Bendo  himself  arrayed  in  an 
apron  of  red  flannel  which  had  been  given  him  by  Mohammed. 
He  looked  very  much  disconcerted  at  seeing  his  property 
laid  under  such  heavy  contribution,  but  he  was  utterly 
helpless  to  arrest  the  havoc.  The  promise  was  given  that 
Mohammed,  when  he  arrived,  would  compensate  him  for  all 
his  loss  by  ample  presents  of  copper  rings  and  other  gifts ; 
and,  as  matter  of  fact,  we  found  Bendo,  at  the  time  of  our 
return,  perfectly  satisfied  in  his  old  quarters,  and  ready  to 
show  many  proofs  of  the  friendly  interest  with  which  he 
regarded  me. 

Besides  Bendo  and  Gumba,  Nganye  had  four  brothers, — 
Imma,  Mango,  Nyongalia,  and  Mbeli, — who  acted  as  his 
deputies,  and  had  the  charge  of  various  districts.  Intimi- 
dated by  his  alliance  with  Aboo  Sammat,  they  were  subser- 
vient to  him  with  the  obedience  of  vassals.  There  was, 
however,  a  seventh  brother,  Mbagahli,  known  by  his  Arabic 
name  of  Surroor,  who  was  the  direct  subordinate  of  Aboo 
Sammat,  and  had  been  established  in  command  of  the  wide 
country  vanquished  by  him,  which  was  bounded  by  the 
territories  of  Nganye,  Wando,  and  Mbeeoh.  Nganye  had 
only  two  sons  recognised  as  legitimate,  Imbolutiddoo  and 
Mattindoo,  the  former  of  which  was  destined  to  be  the  heir 
of  his  dignity.  Nganye's  father  was  Moonuba,  one  of  the 
six  sons  of  Yapahti,  who  must  not  be  confused  with  another 
prince  of  the  same  name  whose  territories  lay  to  the  south 
of  Dar  Ferteet. 

On  the  6th  of  February  our  march  was  maintained  for  a 
distance  of  six  leagues  until  we  arrived  at  the  Sway.  Whilst 
marching  in  single  file  it  was  very  difficult  to  hold  any  com- 
munication with  those  who  were  before  me  or  behind.  Thus 
for  a  great  part  of  the  way  I  kept  up  no  conversation  at  all, 
and  had  to  obtain  all  my  information  about  the  country  at 
the  places  where  we  halted,  and  where  from  the  examination 
of  several  people  I  could  learn  the  truth  ;  going  always  upon 


NEUTRALITY. 


451 


the  principle  that  in  Africa  what  two  witnesses  state  has 
some  degree  of  probability,  but  when  three  agree,  there  is  a 
moral  certainty.  As  we  proceeded,  my  attention  was  suffi- 
ciently occupied  by  observing  the  plants  on  both  sides  of  our 
road,  and  every  now  and  then  I  counted  our  steps  in  order 
to  ascertain  our  rate  of  marching,  the  people,  meanwhile, 
giving  me  the  credit  for  muttering  my  prayers. 

For  the  first  and  last  time  during  our  whole  journey,  I 
had  a  sharp  contention  with  Aboo  Sammat's  soldiers.  Their 
conduct  to  the  natives  excited  my  indignation  more  and  more 
every  day,  and  an  incident  now  occurred  that  thoroughly 
passed  my  powers  of  endurance.  I  could  not  without  remon- 
strance allow  one  of  the  Nubians  to  maltreat  the  bearer  that 
had  been  consigned  to  him  by  Bendo,  and  to  strike  him  till 
his  face  was  covered  with  blood,  merely  because  he  had 
broken  a  common  calabash.  But  however  much  my  sym- 
pathy with  the  negroes  might  make  me  a  favourite  with 
them,  it  could  only  be  exhibited  at  the  cost  of  a  sacrifice  of 
friendship  with  the  Nubians,  who  were  so  indispensable  for 
my  comfort  and  necessities.  I  got  the  reputation  of  being  a 
partisan  and  defender  of  the  blacks,  and  more  than  once  I 
was  bitterly  reproached  because,  as  it  was  said,  I  reckoned 
the  word  of  one  negro  of  more  account  than  that  of  ten 
Mussulmans.  Under  all  similar  circumstances,  I  learnt  as 
far  as  I  could  to  keep  myself  neutral,  and  thus  happily  I 
avoided  much  friction  with  either  party.  But  it  should  be 
mentioned  that  I  was  never  a  witness  of  that  abandoned 
cruelty  and  systematic  inhumanity  which  the  accounts  of 
previous  travellers  in  the  lands  of  the  Upper  Nile  might 
lead  us  to  expect.  A  traveller  to  be  just  will  take  into  con- 
sideration all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  and  all  the 
ameliorating  particulars  which  may  be  alleged ;  but  in  the 
majority  of  these  narratives,  which  make  the  hair  almost 
stand  on  end,  the  judgment  that  is  passed  is  not  unfrequently 
warped  and  exaggerated.    There  is  no  justification  for  the 


452 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


pride  with  which  we  civilised  people  boast  of  our  humanity. 
We  have  only  to  reflect  upon  the  horrors  that  follow  in  the 
train  of  our  wars,  and  if  we  could  enfranchise  ourselves  from 
prejudice  we  should  be  compelled  to  allow  that  we  are  worse 
barbarians  than  all  the  Nubians — nay,  that  we  are  murderers 
by  deliberate  intention,  and  destroyers  of  the  happiness  of 
the  homes  of  thousands. 

As  ill-luck  would  have  it,  on  this  same  day  a  bullet  came 
whistling  by  close  to  my  ear.  Once  before,  during  my  stay 
at  Fashoda,  on  the  White  Nile,  as  the  reader  may  recollect, 
I  had  been  in  peril  of  my  life  through  the  excessive  careless- 
ness of  the  Nubian  soldiers  in  handling  their  arms  ;  and  not 
only  was  the  danger  renewed  now,  but  a  few  days  later  it 
was  repeated  for  the  third  time.  On  this  occasion  a  group 
had  camped  out  on  the  side  of  the  road  as  I  was  defiling 
past  in  the  caravan.  One  of  the  men  had  his  comrade's 
gun  in  his  hand,  and  was  apparently  examining  it,  when,  as 
[  was  within  a  few  paces  of  him,  it  went  off.  All  that  I 
heard  was  the  cry  of  alarm  on  the  part  of  the  man  that  he 
wished  he  had  known  the  gun  was  loaded;  my  own  people 
flocked  around  me  in  consternation,  but  I  passed  on  without 
turning  my  head,  as  though  I  had  heard  nothing.  After  the 
events  of  the  day  my  mode  of  proceeding  was  designed  to 
make  an  impression  on  the  people,  and  succeeded  in  winning 
the  hearts  of  all,  especially  as  I  never  passed  a  single 
remark  upon  the  whole  transaction.  .  The  result  was  that 
everyone  looked  upon  me  as  protected  by  a  good  star,  and 
that  every  attempt  upon  my  life  would  be  utterly  unavailing. 

Our  further  progress  led  us,  for  two  leagues  from  the  resi- 
dence of  Bendo,  along  cultivated  lands  which  were  covered 
with  farmsteads.  On  either  hand,  and  apparently  united  with 
Gumango,  stretched  out  ranges  of  granite  hills  to  the  south 
and  south-east.  One  hill  in  particular  lay  to  the  left  of  our 
way,  which  was  very  long,  but  not  higher  than  Gumango. 
The  th)"ee  succeeding  leagUbS  were  all  down-hill  across  a 


THE  SWAY. 


463 


desert,  and  we  bad  to  pass  some  marshy  courses,  and  several 
of  what  for  want  of  a  better  name  may  be  called  meadow- 
waters,"  which  at  this  season  of  the  year  were  quite  dry. 
These  localities  in  Kanori,  the  dialect  of  Bornoo,  are  called 
**nyalyam."  Barth  mentions  them  as  one  of  the  most 
characteristic  features  of  Central  Africa,  between  the  Shary 
and  the  Benwe.*  The  prevailing  character  of  the  landscape 
was  that  of  a  steppe  lowland,  broken  now  and  then  by  park- 
like woods. 

The  southern  limit  of  Nganye's  territory  is  reached  at 
the  river  Sway,  which  flows  through  the  desert  land  which 
bounds  alike  his  territories  and  Aboo  Sammat's.  Just  one 
league  before  we  arrived  at  the  river  we  passed  the  hamlets 
of  Marra,  who  was  a  "  behnky  "  of  Nganye's.  The  Sway  is  the 
upper  Dyoor,  and  according  to  the  uniform  representations 
of  the  Niam-niam,  it  is  considered  as  the  main  stream.  I 
came  across  its  source  at  the  mountain  of  -Baginze,  where, 
although  it  is  but  a  little  brook,  it  is  called  by  the  same 
name.  The  proofs  that  I  can  adduce  for  the  identity  of  the 
Dyoor  and  Sway  are  conclusive  enough  to  establish  it  for 
a  certainty,  and  they  appear  worthy  of  some  special  notice 
here,  since  they  may  serve  to  throw  some  light  upon  the 
question  of  the  independence  of  the  Welle,  as  a  system 
distinct  from  that  of  the  Nile  basin. 

1.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  length  of  the  river's  course 
between  the  two  points  where  I  crossed  it,  the  one  in  Marra's 
district  and  the  other  in  Bongo-land,  near  Manganya,  amounts 
to  145  miles ;  but  the  positions,  which  I  accurately  deter- 
mined, of  the  south  Bongo  Seribas,  belonging  to  Ghattas  and 
Kurshook  Ali,  and  the  assertion  of  these  two  men  that  the 
Dyoor  flows  due  north  from  a  distance  of  at  least  70  miles 


♦  They  correspond  to  what  in  the  Mark  of  Brandenburo;  are  called  "  Liiche  ' 
(from  the  Slavonian,  "  Luga,"  a  pond),  being  meadow-like  depressions  from 
which  the  water  passes  by  subterranean  channels. 


454 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


above  the  fordiiig-place  near  Manganya,  virtually  reduce  the 
portion  of  the  course  that  I  did  not  explore  to  one-half. 

2.  At  Marra,  the  Sway  was  already  a  stream  with  a  volume 
of  water  sufficient  to  have  an  important  share  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Dyoor. 

3.  All  the  Niam-niam  that  were  questioned  by  me  in 
Kurkur  and  Dangah,  and  who  came  from  parts  of  their 
native  land  adjacent  to  these  places,  plainly  and  uniformly 
called  the  Dyoor  by  the  name  of  the  Sway ;  and  without 
ever  having  been  to  Marra  they  were  quite  aware  that  the 
river  came  from  the  parts  intermediate  between  the  lands  of 
Nganye  and  Wando. 

4.  Upon  the  road  which  the  roving  ivory  companies  of 
Mundo  take  over  what  was  formerly  Tombo's  territory,  the 
Sway  is  crossed  near  Fomboa,  at  a  place  that  corresponds  to 
the  curve  which  the  river  describes  in  my  map. 

5.  The  most  important  river  flowing  towards  the  north  and 
east  that  must  be  crossed  by  expeditions  proceeding  -  south- 
wards from  Dem  Bekeer  in  Dar  Ferteet,  is  the  Nomatilla  or 
Nomatina,  which  according  to  all  accounts  is  identical  with 
the  upper  course  of  the  Wow  or  Nyenahm,  and  is  at  all 
events  the  largest  tributary  of  the  Dyoor.  From  Solongoh's 
residence,  past  which  it  flows,  the  Nubians  have  followed  the 
course  of  the  Nomatilla  right  down  into  the  lands  of  the 
Bongo  and  Dyoor.  There  are  no  other  important  tributaries 
that  the  Dyoor  can  possibly  receive  upon  the  left ;  the  Sway 
must,  therefore,  necessarily  be  the  whole  and  entire  upper 
course  of  the  Dyoor. 

To  myself  it  was  a  great  satisfaction  thus  to  have  placed 
beyond  a  doubt .  the  origin  of  at  least  one  of  the  principal 
sourc'e  streams  of  the  region  of  the  upper  Nile ;  and  thus 
definitely  to  have  assigned  its  geographical  position  to  Mount 
Baginze. 

The  Sway  flows  past  Marra  along  a  level  steppe,  which  on 
account  of  the  rapid  flow  and  deep  channel  of  the  river  can 


HYDROGRAPHY  OF  THE  SWAY. 


465 


only  rarely,  and  that  at  the  time  of  the  rainfall,  be  under 
water.  At  this  time  the  banks  were  perpendicular,  rising  to 
a  height  of  some  18  or  20  feet,  and  being  cut  through  layers 
of  alluvial  soil  very  much  reminded  one  of  the  Nile  "  guefs." 
The  distance  between  bank  and  bank  was  40  feet,  but  the 
actual  river  was  now  about  25  feet  wide.  Its  depth  was  about 
4  feet,  and  it  was  flowing  at  the  rate  of  120  feet  a  minute. 
The  volume  of  water  which  passed  was  thus  200  cubic  feet 
in  a  second,  whilst  the  Dyoor,  before  its  union  with  the  Wow, 
at  the  dry  season  in  the  end  of  December,  did  not  roll  onward 
a  volume  of  more  than  1176  cubic  feet.  In  the  middle  of 
June  again  the  Sway  had  a  volume  of  1650  cubic  feet  to  the 
second  ;  whilst  the.  Dyoor  in  the  rainy  season,  at  the  point  I 
have  just  mentioned,  exhibited  a  volume  of  8800  to  14,800 
cubic  feet. 

This*  apparent  discrepancy  between  the  proportions  of 
water  of  the  two  rivers  at  the  opposite  seasons  of  the  year, 
is  nevertheless  quite  in  accordance  with  physical  laws,  and  is 
consequently  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  demonstration.  The 
drainage  of  the  land  outwards  from  its  springs  takes  place  in 
definite  channels.  These  channels  are  represented  by  the 
great  rivers  which  take  their  rise  in  the  highest  districts. 
The  rain,  uniformly  spread  throughout  the  country,  makes 
its  escape  to  its  destination  by  the  courses  which  are  periodi- 
cally opened  in  the  smaller  streams  which  become  tributary 
to  the  larger.  Compared,  tiierefore,  to  what  they  are  in  the 
winter,  the  great  rivers  are  not  during  the  rainy  season  pro- 
portionately increased  to  the  same  extent  as  the  smaller. 

All  the  tributaries  of  the  Dyoor  (even  to  the  great  Wow, 
to  which  the  Dyoor  owes  at  least  one-third  of  its  volume),  as 
far  as  they  are  known  to  me,  have  in  winter  the  most*  trifling 
significance.  Upon  the  right  are  the  Eye,  the  Lako,  and 
the  Lengbe ;  on  the  left  the  Hoo,  the  Yubbo,  and  the  Bikky. 
Any  small  addition  which  the  little  affluents  might  be  able 
to  yield  in  the  winter  is  all  lost  by  infiltration  and  by 


456 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


evaporation,  so  that  their  entire  and  united  efficiency  is  so 
unimportant  as  to  be  of  no  account  whatever. 

The  sun  had  not  risen  on  the  7th  of  February  when  we 
started  on  our  passage  over  the  river.  A  bath,  no  doubt,  after 
the  heat  and  fatigue  of  the  previous  day  was  very  refreshing, 
but  on  this  occasion  it  was  involuntary ;  and  as  we  waded 
up  to  our  necks  in  water  I  was  conscious  of  sacrificing  the 
cosy  warmth  which  a  preparatory  cup  of  tea  had  given  my 
stomach  to  the  cause  of  science. 

Through  a  charming  bush  forest,  which,  though  destitute 
of  large  trees,  was  most  imposing  in  the  luxuriance  and  size 
of  its  foliage,  our  long  column  continued  its  march.  These 
bush  woods,  remarkable  for  the  large  dimensions  of  their 
leaves,  predominate  everywhere  throughout  the  countries  of 
the  Bongo  and  of  the  Niam-niam ;  they  contain  little  of  the 
nature  of  the  steppes,  except  in  parts  where  there  is  space 
left  for  the  grass  to  spring  up  in  abundance.  Districts  desti- 
tute of  trees  could  not  anywhere  be  found  except  upon  the 
rocky  flats  or  amidst  the  damp  and  marshy  lowlands.  The 
outspread  of  green  was  so  universal,  that,  camp  where  we 
would,  we  were  like  the  eggs  in  a  bowl  of  salad.  Let  arable 
land  lie  but  a  couple  of  years  in.  fallow,  and  it  will  break  out 
into  a  young  but  dense  plantation ;  the  roots  of  the  shrubs 
that  have  been  cat  down  send  up  new  shoots,  and  the  whole 
is  soon  again  a  mass  of  verdure.  It  should  nevertheless  be 
mentioned  that  every  tree  that  is  either  fine  in  itself  or  use- 
ful in  its  product  is  always  spared  and  allowed  to  stand.  The 
charm  of  the  landscape  at  this  early  season  of  the  year  is 
very  fascinating,  and  beyond  a  question  April  and  May  are 
months  full  of  delight  in  Africa. 

Before  noon  we  had  reached  the  little  river  Hoo,  which 
after  flowing  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  through  continued 
steppes,  at  a  spot  a  few  leagues  further  down  unites  itself  to 
the  Sway.  At  this  period  it  was  a  mere  brook  rather  than  a 
river,  with  a  level  sandy  bed  varying  from  35  to  20  feet  in 


BUFFALOES  AND  ELEPHANTS. 


457 


breadth  ;  it  had  but  a  languid  flow  and  seldom  was  above 
2  feet  in  depth.  The  banks  are  very  low,  and  the  rainfall 
consequently  soon  makes  it  overflow  its  limits  and  swamp 
the  adjacent  steppes  as  far  as  the  very  limits  of  the  woods. 
The  plants  which  flourish  on  its  borders,  trees  and  shrubs 
alike,  clearly  reveal  that  for  months  together  they  have  been 
under  water. 

We  took  an  hour's  rest,  which  was  spent  in  making  a  cup 
of  tea  and  in  disposing  of  a  kala-bok  (Antilope  leucotis)  which 
I  had  shot  upon  our  way  as  a  herd  had  crossed  our  path.  A 
fine  landscape  was  open  before  us  to  the  east,  and  upon  the 
outspread  plain  were  herds  of  buffaloes  of  which  the  move- 
ments afforded  us  some  entertainment.  They  went  to  and 
fro  in  groups  of  several  hundreds  along  the  ground  that  was 
furrowed  by  their  tracks,  and  over  land  which  in  the  dry 
season  alone  was  rugged  and  uneven.  Whenever  we  crossed 
any  extensive  river-plains  we  always  fell  in  with  herds  of 
buffaloes ;  but  we  observed  that  vestiges  of  elephants  were 
comparatively  very  rare,  although  the  indications  were  not 
wanting  that  even  quite  recently  some  had  been  upon  the 
scene.  But  to  these  sagacious  creatures  a  trodden  path  is  a 
thing  to  be  eschewed,  and  they  prefer  to  pursue  their  long 
marches  under  the  obscurity  of  night.  If  any  one  would 
prosecute  elephant-hunting  to  advantage,  he  must,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  renounce  every  other  aim  whatever. 

From  the  flats  where  the  Hoo  lay  low,  we  proceeded 
through  an  undulating  rocky  bush- wood  to  an  adjacent  brook 
called  the  Atoborroo.  Sunk  in  a  deep  chasm  80  feet  deep 
it  was  hardly  perceptible  from  above,  and  streamed  on  over- 
massed  by  the  densest  marsh  foliage.  The  vegetation 
of  the  woods  offered  me  a  fresh  feast  of  plants  that  I  had 
never  before  seen,  and  I  enjoyed  an  especial  pleasure  in  the 
discovery  of  thickets  of  a  species  of  ginger-plant,  which 
filled  the  valley  all  around  with  the  most  delicious  aromatic 
perfume,  and  grew  quite  down  to  the  edge  of  the  water. 

Vol.  I.— 32 


458 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFKICA. 


Damp  and  foggy  was  the  following  morning  as  our  caravan 
moved  on  its  way.  We  had  proceeded  but  a  short  distance 
when  our  advanced  party  came  to  a  standstill.  This  was  a 
symptom  that  a  brook  or  river  of  some  sort  had  obstructed 
further  progress.  These  continual  delays  and  interruptions 
contributed  somewhat  to  the  difficulty  of  keeping  a  system- 
atic .  record  of  my  wayfaring  experiences.  Through  the  tall 
grass  and  high  bushes  I  endeavoured  to  push  my  way  to  the 
head  of  the  line,  but  I  could  only  succeed  in  arriving  in 
time  to  see  the  first  company  follow  their  banner  over  the 
Manzilly.  Along  a  ravine  deeply  overhung  by  the  broad 
branching  foliage  of  the  fig-trees,  the  stream  rushed  on  to 
the  north-east,  a  direction  precisely  the  reverse  of  what  was 
followed  by  the  Hoo,  which  ultimately  received  the  waters 
of  all  the  minor  streams  which  came  from  the  western 
heights.  At  every  time  of  the  year  these  water-courses  are 
all  very  rapid,  and  generally  speaking  they  run  over  gravel 
beds  in  distinction  from  the  marshy  mould  of  the  more 
sluggish  streams.  In  these  cases  the  tedious  process  of 
undressing  is  limited  to  merely  taking  off  one's  socks  and 
boots,  and  this  is  a  considerable  saving  of  time. 

Shortly  after  this  we  came  to  a  small,  albeit  a  very  small 
piece  of  primeval  forest,  containing  giant  fig-trees,  commonly 
called  gum-trees,  and  indeed  of  a  species  not  unlike  the 
Ficus  elastica.  As  a  forerunner  of  greater  surprises  still  to 
come,  there  rose  before  my  view  the  first  thicket  of  the 
calamus  (the  rotang  or  Spanish  reed),  which  deserves  a  fore- 
most place  in  every  description  of  the  woods  that  line  the 
river-banks  in  the  Niam-niam  lands.  It  was  a  "  gallery  " 
or  avenue  in  miniature,  such  as  I  should  find  on  a  larger 
scale  along  the  side  of  nearly  all  the  smaller  streams  to  the 
south.  This  conception,  so  necessary  to  an  adequate  topo- 
graphical representation  of  the  land,  will  .be  discussed  in  a 
somewhat  later  page. 

After  a  while  we  reached  a  second  brook  beside  the  farm- 


• 


TROPICAL  FOREST.  459 

steads  of  Kulenjo,  which  are  the  first  settlements  of  the 
Niam-niam  subject  to  the  immediate  control  of  Aboo  Sammat. 
The  possessions  of  each  separate  Niam-niam  are  parted  from 
each  other,  just  in  the  same  way  as  the  territories  of  the 
different  tribes,  by  desolate  intervals  void  of  any  residents 
whatever,  nominally  for  the  purpose  of  security,  so  that  the 
inhabitants  may  by  placing  out  a  watch  easily  guard  against 
any  sudden  attack.  When  there  is  mutual  distrust,  or  in 
times  of  open  war,  watches  are  of  little  service  in  signalling 
danger,  for  then  every  Niam-niam,  as  a  true  hunter,  passes 
his  whole  time  in  watching  and  lying  in  wait. 

During  the  entire  day  I  occupied  myself  among  the 
magnificent  thickets  on  the  stream  near  Kulenjo,  the  vege- 
tation, so  different  from  what  I  had  seen  in  other  parts  of 
the  Nile  district,  and  of  which  I  had  had  only  a  foretaste  on 
the  Atazilly,  being  here  revealed  in  its  full  splendour.  The 
flora  embraces  the  majority  of  the  plants  of  the  western 
coasts  of  tropical  Africa  that  are  known  on  the  Gaboon,  the 
Niger,  and  the  Gambia,  and  overstepping  the  watershed 
dividing  the  Nile  districts  from  the  basin  of  the  Tsad, 
opens  to  the  traveller  from  the  north  the  unexpected  glory 
of  the  wildernesses  of  Central  Africa.  Though  all  was  but 
a  faint  reflection  of  the  rich  luxuriance  of  the  primeval 
forests  of  Brazil,  yet,  in  contrast  to  what  had  gone  before,  it 
could  not  fail  to  be  very  charming.  Throughout  the  twenty- 
six  degrees  of  latitude  over  which  I  travelled,  the  progress 
of  vegetation,  according  to  the  geographical  zone  and  the 
meteorological  condition  of  the  successive  lands,  was  organised 
with  wonderful  simplicity.  For  the  first  800  miles  stretched 
the  dreary  desert,  giving  place  to  wide  steppes,  void  of  trees, 
but  ever  covered  with  grass ;  next  came  the  delightful  region 
of  the  bush  forests,  where  the  vegetation,  divested  of  the 
obnoxious  thorns  of  the  desert,  recalled  the  soft  foliage  of  his 
native  land  to  the  mind  of  the  traveller,  who  lastly  entered 
upon  what  he  might  correctly  call  the  true  primeval  forest, 


460  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

which  carried  him  back  to  the  memories  of  his  youth  ^hen 
he  yielded  his  fancy  to  the  fascinations  of  *  Robinson  Crusoe ' 
or  of  *  Paul  and  Virginia/  An  identical  change  gradually 
supervening  in  the  character  of  vegetation  is  perceptible  in 
a  contrary  direction  in  the  southern  half  of  the  continent  ; 
and  travellers  proceeding  from  the  Cape  northwards  to  the 
Equator  have  rarely  failed  to  draw  attention  to  the  fact. 

Nature  everywhere  proceeds  upon  the  principle  of  levelling 
what  is  opposite  and  balancing  what  is  extreme :  she  would 
seem  to  abhor  the  sharply-defined  boundaries  in  which  man 
delights  so  much,  and  in  accordance  with  this  law  she  here 
presents  to  the  eye  of  the  inquirer  a  transition  that  is  very 
gradual,  so  that  the  limits  of  her  districts  overlap  one 
another  like  the  fingers  of  folded  hands.  Even  in  lat.  7°  N. 
small  isolated  tracts  of  bank-forest,  bearing,  however,  the 
characteristic  types  of  the  "gallery"  flora,  are  scattered  like 
enclaves  among  the  bush-forests  of  the  distant  north.  The 
forests  at  Okale,  at  Yagla,  and  the  locality  called  "  Genana," 
are  examples  which  I  have  already  mentioned. 

Nowhere  did  the  guinea-fowl  afford  better  sport  than  along 
the  stream  at  Eulenjo  ;  about  noon  their  grey  plumage  could 
be  seen  in  the  shade  of  the  foliage  as  they  perched  aloft  in 
the  trees  at  the  edge  of  the  wood,  where  they  could  be 
brought  down  one  after  another  with  the  greatest  ease.  The 
keen  vision  of  the  Niam-niam  did  me  good  service  in  spying 
out  the  birds  from  a  distance,  for  the  waving  green  around 
me  made  me  almost  blind.  The  early  morning  likewise  is 
not  an  unfavourable  time  for  getting  at  guinea-fowl ;  they 
begin  their  flight  very  shortly  after  sunrise,  but  even  then 
they  are  too  much  occupied  in  securing  their  food  to  heed  the 
approach  of  any  tolerably  cautious  sportsman. 

The  reader  may  perchance  wonder  at  my  frequent  men- 
tion of  these  guinea-fowl,  and  I  would  therefore  be  allowed  to 
explain  that  the  traveller  in  Africa  would  be  quite  at  a  loss 
without  them,  as,  with  rare  exceptions,  they  form  the  main 


FEEDING  THE  BEAREKS. 


461 


commodity  of  his  daily  cuisine.  In  the  course  of  five  years 
I  daresay  I  brought  down  as  many  as  a  thousand  of  these 
birds,  generally  two  at  a  time.  By  using  the  lightest  shot 
that  can  be  obtained,  and  aiming  high,  failure  is  quite  excep- 
tional, as  the  smallest  grain  that  hits  the  long  neck  is  sure  to 
bring  down  the  game.  With  dogs,  even  when  untrained, 
securing  the  birds  is  a  still  more  easy  matter.  The  guinea- 
fowl  cannot  fly  far  at  a  time,  and  therefore  when  they  per- 
ceive the  dogs  in  the  long  grass,  they  seem  to  realise  their 
inability  to  escape,  and  take  refuge  on  the  nearest  bough. 
Often  while  my  dogs  have  surrounded  a  tree,  I  have  brought 
down  from  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  feet  one  guinea-fowl 
after  another,  without  a  single  bird  having  ventured  to  leave 
its  hiding-place. 

In  marching  for  three  days  across  an  open  wilderness,  the 
caravan  had  to  be  provided  by  Kulenjo  with  their  ordinary 
meals,  and  it  was  no  easy  matter  in  a  region  so  scantily 
populated  to  find  the  necessary  food  for  a  thousand  hungry 
mouths.  The  feeding  took  place  in  the  evening,  and  before 
sunrise  in  the  morning.  The  whole  party  of  bearers  were 
divided  into  groups,  to  which  the  food  was  distributed  by  the 
different  "nyare,"  or  local  Bongo  overseers,  who  generally 
accompany  the  leaders  of  these  longer  expeditions.  Handfuls 
of  corn,  measured  out  just  as  though  they  were  portions  for 
camels  or  asses,  and  lumps  of  bread  composed  of  coarsely- 
ground  impure  Teleboon-corn  (eleusine),  boiled  to  a  pulp, 
formed  the  wretched  allotment  and  composed  the  substance 
of  a  meal  such  as  we  should  hesitate  at  giving  even  to  our 
cattle.  Frequently  in  the  wilderness  they  are  reduced  to 
the  necessity  of  cooking  and  eating  their  corn  unground.  In 
comparison  with  this  vile  and  wretched  provision,  linseed- 
cake  and  bran  would  be  accepted  by  the  Bongo  and  Mittoo 
bearers  as  choice  delicacies.  The  natives  bring  them  their 
pulpy  bread  in  baskets,  and  by  counting  the  great  lumps  of 
dough,  which  were  packed  in  green  leaves,  it  was  possible. 


462 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


with  some  approximation  to  truth,  to  estimate  the  number  of 
families  appointed  to  take  their  share  in  providing  the  supplies. 

Dainties  more  tempting  and  recherche  were  brought  in 
gourd-shells.  The  natives  who  brought  these  alone  formed 
a  goodly  company,  consisting  chiefly  of  boys  and  children ; 
the  women,  being  shy,  and  also  jealously  guarded  by  their 
husbands,  remained  behind  at  home. 

I  must  not  omit  to  mention  the  vegetables,  which,  when 
circumstances  permitted,  were  also  brought  for  the  bearers. 
These  vegetables,  served  with  sauces,  were  arranged  in  hun- 
dreds of  gourd-shells,  pots,  and  bowls,  round  the  immense 
pile  of  the  so-called  bread.  The  sauces,  which  were  greatly 
relished  by  the  Bongo,  consisted  of  a  compound  of  animal 
and  vegetable  grease,  water,  soda,  and  aromatic  herbs.  The 
chief  ingredients  in  the  finer  sorts  were  grains  of  sesame  and 
hyptis,  pounded  to  a  pulp,  whilst  the  inferior  kinds  were 
mainly  composed  of  the  Zawa-oil  of  the  Lo^hira  alata  and  oil 
of  termites.  Those  with  the  most  piquant  flavour  are  made 
of  dried  fish,  which  is  pounded  and  rolled  into  balls  like 
cheese  ;  in  consequence  of  the  heat  of  the  climate  these  very 
soon  acquire  a  haut  gout  Neither  Bongo  nor  Niam-niam  will 
touch  pimento,  as  they  consider  its  very  pungency  to  be  an 
evidence  of  its  poisonous  properties ;  consequently  they  seek 
a  substitute  in  stinking  fermented  matter. 

Common  salt  is  absolutely  unknown  in  this  part  of  Africa ; 
the  only  salt  to  be  procured  being  extracted  from  the  ashes 
of  the  wood  of  the  Grewia;  consequently  the  greasy  soups 
when  boiled  coagulate  almost  into  a  kind  of  soap,  and  their 
flavour  may  be  more  easily  imagined  than  described.  To 
make  specially  attractive  sauces  there  is  added  the  flesh  of 
elephants  and  buflaloes,  which  has  been  previously  dried  and 
pounded.  Any  fat  from  meat  is  all  but  unknown:  Nature 
appears  to  have  quite  denied  any  supply  to  animals  that  are 
wild,  and  the  Niam-niam  have  no  domestic  animals  like  their 
neighbours ;  whilst  the  fat  of  dogs  and  men,  even  if  it  were 


VEGETABLES.  463 

not  loathsome  to  the  Bongo,  wou'd  be  far  too  rare  and 
costly  to  be  used  for  such  a  purpose.  Such  is  the  usual 
food  supplied  to  the  native  bearers,  and  according  to  their 
notion  it  is  probable  that  no  more  grateful  diet  could  be 
prescribed. 

At  some  seasons  other  products  of  the  soil,  such  as  the 
larger  kinds  of  gourds,  are  added  to  the  catalogue  of  supplies. 
Gourd-leaves,  too,  which  can  be  gathered  throughout  the 
year,  together  with  various  herbs,  which  are  found  neither 
to  be  unwholesome  nor  to  have  the  flavour  of  pimento,  are 
pounded  and  mixed  with  the  soups.  Vegetables  proper  are 
rarely  grown,  but  whatever  weeds  may  spring  up  on  all  culti- 
vated soils  are  employed  as  a  substitute,  and  play  as  impor- 
tant  a  part  in  the  economy  of  the.  food  as  many  articles  that 
are  used  on  our  own  tables ;  they  serve  partly  as  material  to 
thicken  the  soups,  and  partly  as  nourishment  to  satisfy  hunger. 
As  I  proceeded  further  on  my  journey,  I  found  that  manioc, 
sweet-potatoes,  and  green  plantains  took  the  place  of  the 
corn-pap  and  Bongo  sauces,  whilst  it  should  be  observed 
that  in  the  more  northerly  regions  cereals  formed  the  basis 
of  the  food. 

On  the  twelfth  morning  of  our  march  I  rose  with  the  wel> 
come  prospect  of  that  day  reaching  Aboo  Sammat's  Seriba. 
Attending  to  my  toilet,  and  taking  my  time  over  my  break- 
fast, I  did  not  quit  the  camp  at  Kulenjo  until  long  after  the 
last  of  the  bearers  had  left.  The  day  brought  me  along 
a  charming  walk,  and  yielded  a  fine  harvest  of  botanical 
treasures;  we  crossed  four  streams,  passed  several  isolated 
hamlets,  and  finally  entered  a  dense  forest  of  lofty  trees. 
This  was  no  park  with  its  alternations  of  meadows  and 
thickets,  trees  and  groves :  it  was  a  veritable  forest  in  our 
northern  sense,  but  infinitely  more  lovely  and  varied,  and  not 
marked  by  the  solemn  monotony  of  our  native  woods.  In 
contrast  to  the  surrounding  country,  the  forest  land  extended 
over  an  area  of  many  miles  to  the  north  and  south  of  th€^ 


464 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFEICA. 


Seriba,  and  nowhere  did  it  show  an  exclusive  predominance 
of  any  single  species.  Trees  there  were  most  striking  and 
stately,  but  the  most  remarkable  circumstance  about  them 
was  the  diversity  they  displayed ;  a  fact  that  may  be  com- 
prehended, when  it  is  stated  that  amongst  thirty  adjacent 
trees  were  found  representatives  of  no  less  than  twenty 
different  classes. 


CHAPTEK  XL 

Aboo  Sammat's  territory.  Jungle  on  the  brooks.  Discovery  of  wild  pepper. 
Giant  ti-ees.  Modesty  of  the  Niam-niam  women.  Fresh  danger  from  a  bullet. 
A  Bongo  poisoned  by  manioc.  Liberal  treatment  of  bearers.  Nduppo's 
disagreement  with  Wando.  Savage  admiration  of  Europeans.  The  skin- 
trade.  Wando's  braggings  and  threatenings.  Formation  of  columns  for  war. 
Natives  as  soldiers.  Difficulties  of  river-fording.  Difference  of  level  of  soil 
on  the  watersheds.  Mohammed's  prelude  to  drinking  beer.  Division  of 
forces.  Primeval  forest  on  the  Lindukoo.  Kikkete's  jealousy.  Varieties 
of  genets.  Mohsimmed's  reveille.  Morning  toilet  of  the  Niam-niam.  Water- 
fall on  the  Lindukoo.  Magic  roots.  Watershed  of  the  Nile  district.  Simple 
geological  formation  of  Central  Africa.  The  chimpanzee  and  pandanus  found 
only  beyond  the  watershed.  Confusion  in  crossing  the  brook.  Africa's 
revenge  on  the  white  man.  Venturesome  interview  of  Mohammed  with 
Wando.  Value  of  ivory  and  copper.  Definition  of  a  "  gallery -wood." 
Duality  of  vegetation.  Wando  visits  my  tent.  Wando's  nonchalance.  A 
specimen  of  native  cookery.  Six  Nubians  murdered  by  Niam-niam.  The 
leaf-eater  and  grass-man. 

One  of  the  native  chieftains,  as  I  have  already  mentioned, 
had  exhibited  so  much  hostility,  and  had  been  so  great 
an  obstacle  to  Mohammed  Aboo  Sammat's  ivory  trade  in 
Wando's  district,  that  Mohammed  had  proceeded  to  violence 
and  had  wrested  away  his  territory.  This  chieftain  was  now 
dead,  and  Mohammed  in  his  place  had  appointed  a  native 
spearman  of  royal  blood.  Mohammed  had  a  considerable 
number  of  these  spearmen,  natives  of  the  Niam-niam 
country,  who  were  brought  into  his  Seribas,  and  having 
been  initiated  into  the  use  of  fire-arms,  formed  one  of  the 
main  supports  of  his  authority.  Backed  by  the  continual 
presence  of  some  forty  or  fifty  armed  Nubians,  Surroor  (for 
such  was  the  name  of  the  new  vicegerent)  held  sway  over 
a  populous  area  of  700  square  miles.    According  to  the  joint 


466 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


estimate  made  by  Mohammed  aud  Surroor,  the  number  of 
men  in  the  territory  capable  of  bearing  arms  was  not  less 
than  40,000.  I  believe,  however,  that  half  this  number 
would  be  nearer  the  mark ;  for  when  I  test  my  impressions 
by  comparing  them  with  the  results  of  my  careful  investiga- 
tions in  Bongo-land,  I  cannot  but  think  that  the  entire 
population  of  the  Niam-niam  country,  with  its  wide  tracts 
of  wilderness  utterly  uninhabited,  hardly  averages  65  to  the 
square  mile. 

Since  here  amongst  the  bearers  there  is  no  institution  of 
statute  labour,  and  the  number  of  villages  and  huts  could 
only  be  arrived  at  by  careful  scrutiny  of  an  entire  district, 
the  only  means  open  to  me  for  estimating  the  amount  of 
population  was  by  taking  what  reckoning  I  could  of  the 
people  who  assembled  on  either  side  of  our  route  as  we 
passed  along.  These  may  be  divided  into  three  classes : 
first,  those  who  had  come  from  mere  curiosity ;  secondly, 
those  who  had  been  ordered  to  settle  in  a  district  to  con- 
tribute towards  the  general  means  of  subsistence;  and, 
thirdly,  the  fighting-force  that  was  displayed  in  various 
places  during  time  of  war,  and  which  most  probably  repre- 
sented the  large  majority  of  the  men  who  were  capable  of 
bearing  arms. 

The  strongholds  in  this  district  consist  of  one  large  Seriba 
and  three  smaller  palisaded  enclosures.  In  these  subsidiary 
settlements  discipline  is  maintained  by  native  overseers  with 
a  small  detachment  of  armed  men. 

The  personal  relation  of  the  Niam-niam  towards  their 
rulers  was  far  less  servile  than  what  I  had  observed  among 
the  BoDgo  and  Mittoo.  The  duties  imposed  were  mainly 
the  same.  They  were  bound  to  assemble  promptly  at  any 
signal  either  for  war  or  for  hunting,  to  provide  an  adequate 
support  for  whatever  soldiers  and  bearers  might  be  brought 
into  the  country ;  to  furnish  wood  and  straw  for  building 
purposes,  and  to  perform  various  incidental  labours.  The 


ABOO  SAMMAT'S  SERIBA. 


467 


Niam-niam,  however,  are  not  employed  as  bearers  upon  the 
expeditions,  and  upon  the  whole  are  less  oppressed  and  are 
treated  with  more  consideration  than  the  Bongo.  At  present 
they  can  hardly  comprehend  their  state  of  subjection,  and 
this  indefinite  feeling  is  fostered  at  first  by  leniency  on  the 
part  of  the  oppressors,  that  they  may  smooth  the  way  for 
severer  measures  in  the  future.. 

The  power  of  any  native  chiefs  among  such  a  people  of 
unsettled  habits  and  unpliant  temper  as  the  Niam-niam — 
a  people  delighting  in  the  chase — is  necessarily  at  present 
very  limited ;  it  cannot  extend  any  further  at  all  than  to 
accomplish  the  disposal  of  whatever  men  may  be  capable  of 
bearing  arms  either  for  the  purpose  of  warfare  or  of  hunting. 
The  official  emoluments  of  these  chiefs  are  derived  partly 
from  an  allowance  made  upon  all  the  ivory  that  is  secured, 
which  is  always  paid  without  being  contested,  and  partly 
from  their  having  a  right  to  half  of  all  the  elephant  meat ; 
but  for  their  ordinary  subsistence  they  have  to  turn  their 
attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  fields;  and  for  this  purpose 
they  endeavour  to  increase  their  home  establishments  by  the 
acquisition  of  as  many  wives  and  women-slaves  as  their 
resources  will  allow. 

I  remained  at  this  place  from  the  10th  to  the  26th  of 
February.  The  Seriba  was  in  lat.  4°  50'  N.,  and  was  87 
miles  south — almost  due  south — of  Sabby.  It  was  situated 
in  the  angle  formed  by  the  confluence  of  two  streams,  the 
Nabambisso  and  the  Boddo,  which  were  overhung  by  lofty 
trees,  and  in  some  places  were  enclosed  by  dense  thickets. 
Close  at  hand  was  the  "  mbanga  "  of  Surroor. 

I  spent  the  daytime  in  an  assiduous  investigation  of  the 
neighbouring  woods.  My  collection  increased  considerably, 
and  the  paper  packets  prepared  for  the  reception  of  my 
treasures  were  rapidly  filled  up.  The  crowds  of  natives  who 
came  from  far  and  near  to  gaze  upon  me  afforded  me  an 
acceptable  opportunity  of  filling  up  some  pages  in  my  album. 


468 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


My  two  Niam-niam  interpreters  (called  in  Arabic  Gyabir  and 
Amber)  felt  at  home  upon  their  native  soil,  and  accompanied 
me  everywhere,  making  my  intercourse  with  the  natives 
perfectly  easy.  I  was  able^.  to  roam  about  at  will  in  the 
adjacent  jungles,  as  the  environs  were  as  safe  as  those  of 
Ghattas'  Seriba  in  the  Dyoor  ;  and,  altogether,  I  was  soon  as 
comfortable  as  I  could  desire  in  this  remote  land. 

The  scenery  was  lovely;  the  two  streams  never  failed 
throughout  the  year  to  be  well  supplied  with  water,  and 
flowed  through  deep  glades  where  the  lofty  trees  were 
wreathed  and  festooned  with  creepers  in  clustered  grace  that 
would  have  been  an  ornament  to  any  palm-house.  In  the 
part  where  the  supply  of  water  was  diverted  to  the  residences 
the  woods  had  been  considerably  thinned.  The  wild  date- 
palm  (Phoenix  spinosa),  which  may  be  considered  as  the 
original  of  the  species  cultivated  throughout  the  desert 
region  from  Senegambia  to  the  Indus,  grows  here  as  a  low 
shrub,  and  together  with  the  calamus  forms  an  impenetrable 
hedge  along  the  banks  of  the  stream.  The  double  barbs 
of  the  calamus  cling  tenaciously  to  the  skin  and  clothes, 
reminding  one  of  the  prickly  acacia  to  which  the  Boers,  or 
Dutch  colonists  in  South  Africa,  have  given  the  name  of 
"  wag-a-bitjen,"  ^.  e.  wait-a-bit. 

A  new  characteristic  of  the  flora  appears  here  in  the 
Amomum,  which  I  found  in  tall  masses  on  the  damp  soil 
near  the  bed  of  the  stream,  and  even  in  the  water  itself. 
I  saw  five  different  species,  with  white,  yellow,  and  crimson 
flowers.  The  fruit  of  all  the  kinds  is  bright  red,  and  contains 
a  soft  pulp  which  has  a  flavour  like  citron,  and  which  en- 
velopes the  aromatic  seeds  known  as  grains  of  paradise.  The 
water  of  the  streams  runs  clear  as  crystal,  and  the  traveller 
may  at  any  time  allay  his  thirst  by  a  cooling  draught.  Here 
and  there  the  sun's  rays  force  their  way  through  the  inter- 
lacing creepers  which  hang  in  festoons  between  stem  and 
stem,  and  in  the  twilight  the  foliage  gleams  almost  like 


KOKKOROKOO. 


4G9 


burnished  metal.  The  Ashantee  pepper  (Cuheba  Clusii) 
clothes  the  trunks  with  a  close  network  which  is  thickly 
covered  with  bright  red  berries  that  grow  in  clusters  as  long 
as  one's  finger.  After  the  fruit  has  been  dried  it  makes  a  very 
good  substitute  for  black  pepper,  which  it  very  much  re- 
sembles in  flavour.  I  was  the  first  to  draw  the  attention  of  the 
Nubians  to  the  plant,  for,  although  they  had  travelled  much 
in  the  Niam-niam  lands,  they  had  no  idea  that  these  berries 
had  the  properties  of  pepper,  and  seemed  highly  gratified  at 
the  discovery.  The  Niam-niam  take  the  pepper  only  as  a 
medicine  ;  for  seasoning  their  dishes  they  are  accustomed  to 
use  the  Malaghetta  pepper  (Hahzelia),  of  which  we  shall  have 
to  speak  on  a  later  page.  The  Ashantee-pepper  is.  one  of  the 
most  common  and  yet  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most 
striking  of  the  characteristics  of  the  primeval  forests  of  the 
district ;  it  forms  the  finest  adornment  of  the  giant  trees,  and 
covers  the  venerable  stems  of  these  princes  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom  with  a  vesture  of  royal  purple. 

One  amongst  the  most  imposing  forms  of  vegetation  is 
found  in  a  Sterculia  of  the  Cola  tribe,  called  "  kokkorokoo." 
This  tree  grows  to  a  height  of  80  or  90  feet;  the  stem 
gradually  tapers  upwards  to  a  point,  whilst  at  the  base  it  is 
suddenly  expanded  to  so  great  a  bulk  that  it  would  require 
eight  or  ten  men  to  encircle  it;  thence  it  rises  in  a  mass 
of  narrow  arms,  corresponding  to  the  direction  of  the  roots, 
shooting  upwards  for  many  feet,  like  a  series  of  planks  joined 
together  edge  to  edge.  The  leaves  are  heart-shaped  and 
form  a  light  and  airy  foliage,  but  this  commences  at  such 
a  height  above  the  ground  that  I  was  for  some  time  in  doubt 
about  the  true  form  of  the  tree.  At  length  I  discovered 
a  shoot  bursting  from  a  root  that  enabled  me  to  realise 
a  proper  idea  of  the  plant.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  in 
these  primeval  forests  for  the  botanist  thus  to  see  the  object 
of  his  desire  at  a  height  so  far  above  his  head  that  he  is 
unable  to  attain  so  much  as  a  single  leaf. 


470 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


It  was  upon  the  Boddo  that  I  found  the  first  specimens  of 
Anthocleista.  The  flora  of  the  Niam-niam  countries  con- 
tains several  species  of  this  genus  of  the  Loganiaceae,  which 
is  remarkable  for  the  immense  size  and  small  number  of  its 
leaves  that  grow  all  together  at  the  crown  of  a  single  stem 
running  up  without  a  branch.  Let  any  one  imagine  a 
tobacco  plant  magnified  to  ten  times  its  natural  size  and 
placed  upon  the  top  of  a  stem  some  twenty  feet  high,  and  he 
will  then  have  some  idea  of  this  plant  with  its  circling 
labyrinth  of  leaves.  In  any  drawing  of  a  landscape  the 
Anthocleista  defies  every  rule  of  perspective.  The  equa- 
torial zone  alone  can  boast  of  plants  so  unique  in  character 
as  these,  which  may  be  considered  as  samples  of  the  unex- 
plored splendour  of  the  primeval  forests  of  Brazil. 

After  every  ramble  I  turned  my  steps  to  Surroor's  mbanga, 
and  my  visits  there  were  always  enjoyable,  because  I  ever 
found  something  fresh  that  sensibly  enlarged  my  knowledge 
of  the  country.  There  was  invariably  a  large  assemblage 
of  natives  about  the  vicegerent's  court,  and  among  them 
a  considerable  number  of  women ;  for  Surroor,  besides  his 
thronging  harem,  kept  a  great  many  female  slaves  in 
attendance  upon  himself  and  his  wives.  As  a  guest  of 
Mohammed's  I  was  always  treated  here  with  the  utmost 
respect.  The  most  elaborate  benches  and  stools  were  brought 
out  for  me  to  sit  on,  and  Surroor's  store  of  these  exemplars 
of  native  art  was  inexhaustible.  The  choicest  delicacies  of 
the  country  were  outspread  before  me,  but  these  were  to  me 
as  prohibited  as  shewbread.  I  always  made  a  rule  of  eating 
alone,  and  consequently  felt  constrained  to  leave  the  dain- 
ties to  my  interpreters  and  Nubian  servants. 

Yes  ;  I  took  my  meals  alone.  A  solitary  European,  as  he 
proceeds  farther  and  farther  from  his  home,  may  see  his  old 
associations  shrink  to  a  minimum ;  but  so  much  the  more, 
with  pertinacious  conservatism,  will  he  cling  to  the  surviving 
remnants  of  his  own  superiority.    Nothing  can  ever  divest 


NIAM-NIAM  WOMEN. 


471 


him  of  the  thought  as  to  how  he  may  maintain  the  pre- 
rogative, which  he  takes  for  granted,  that  he  is  a  being  of 
some  higher  order.  Many  a  misanthrope,  in  his  disgust  at 
the  shady  side  of  our  modern  culture,  may  imagine  that  to 
a  traveller,  in  his  intercourse  with  the  children  of  Nature, 
the  thousand  necessities  of  daily  life  must  seem  but  trifles 
vain  and  empty,  to  be  dispensed  with  without  a  sigh.  Such 
an  one  may  fancy  that  the  bonds  which  fasten  him  to  the 
world  of  civilisation  are  weak  and  all  waiting  to  be  rent 
asunder  as  soon  as  Nature  is  left  to  assert  her  unfettered 
.  rights ;  but  from  experience  I  can  assure  him  that  the  truth 
is  very  different.  With  the  fear  of  degenerating  ever  before 
his  eyes,  the  wanderer  from  the  realms  of  civilisation  will 
surely  fix  his  gaze  almost  with  devotion  on  the  few  objects 
of  our  Western  culture  that  remain  to  him,  which  (however 
trivial  they  are  in  themselves)  become  to  him  symbols 
little  less  than  sacred.  Tables  and  chairs,  knives  and  forks, 
bedding,  and  even  pocket-handkerchiefs*  will  assume  an  im- 
portance that  could  never  have  been  anticipated,  and  it  is 
hardly  too  much  to  aver  that  they  will  rise  to  a  share  in  his 
affections. 

The  social  position  of  the  Niam-niam  women'  differs  mate- 
rially from  what  is  found  amongst  other  heathen  negroes  in 
Africa.  The  Bongo  and  Mittoo  women  are  on  the  same 
familiar  terms  with  the  foreigner  as  the  men,  and  the  Mon- 
buttoo  ladies  are  as  forward,  inquisitive  and  prying  as  can 
be  imagined  ;  but  the  women  of  the  Niam-niam  treat  every 
stranger  with  marked  reserve.  Whenever  I  met  any  women 
coming  along  a  narrow  pathway  in  the  woods  or  on  the 
steppes,  I  noticed  that  they  always  made  a  wide  circuit  to 
avoid  me,  and  returned  into  the  path  further  on  ;  and  many 
a  time  I  saw  them  waiting  at  a  distance  with  averted  face, 
until  I  had  passed  by.  This  reserve  may  have  originated 
from  one  of  two  opposite  reasons.  It  may  on  the  one  hand 
have  sprung  from  the  more  servile  position  of  the  Niam-niam 


472 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


women  themselves;  or,  on  the  other,  it  may  have  been 
necessitated  by  the  jealous  temperament  of  their  husbands. 
It  is  one  of  the  fine  traits  in  the  Niam-niam  that  they  display 
an  affection  for  their  wives  which  is  unparalleled  among 
natives  of  so  low  a  grade,  and  of  whom  it  might  be  expected 
that  they  would  have  been  brutalised  by  their  hunting  and 


A  Niam-niam  Girl. 


warlike  pursuits  A  husband  will  spare  no  sacrifice  to 
redeem  an  imprisoned  wife,  and  the  Nubians,  being  ac- 
quainted with  this,  turn  it  to  profitable  account  in  the  ivory 
trade.  They  are  quite  aware  that  whoever  possesses  a  female 
hostage  can  obtain  almost  any  compensation  from  a  Niam- 
niam. 

My  exceptional  position  made  it  easy  for  me  to  procure  an 
order  from  Surroor  that  some  of  his  wives  should  sit  for  their 
portraits.    This  was  an  unusually  favourable  opportunity, 


SUKROOR. 


473 


and  the  ladies  with  their  plaited  tresses,  allowed  me  to  make 
many  additions  to  my  portfolio  and  to  my  list  of  measure- 
ments. In  this  place  I  measured  about  fifty  different  people, 
taking  no  less  than  forty  measurements  of  each.  This  of 
course  was  the  work  of  time,  but  my  trouble  was  all  in 
vain,  for  all  my  notes,  with  many  others,  were  destroyed  in 
the  fire,  of  which  the  record  will  have  to  be  made,  on  the 
2nd  of  December.  Altogether  I  had  carefully  registered  the 
measurements  of  more  than  200  individuals  belonging  to 
various  nations. 

During  the  time  that  Surroor  had  acted  in  the  capacity 
of  Mohammed's  spearman,  he  had  learnt  to  speak  Arabic 
fluently,  and  was  therefore  able  to  give  me  considerable  infor- 
mation on  many  points.  1  asked  many  local  questions,  since 
the  unravelling  of  the  confused  hydrographical  network  in 
this  part  of  the  country  was  an  object  which  I  could  never 
permit  to  be  absent  from  my  thoughts.  I  was  not  long 
however,  in  discovering  that  these  Zandey  (Niam-niam), 
although  possessing  such  uniformity  in  speech  and  customs, 
had  no  more  knowledge  of  the  remote  parts  of  their  country 
than  the  majority  of  the  other  natives  of  Central  Africa.  I 
may  mention,  as  an  instance  of  this,  that  no  one  in  this  dis- 
trict knew  so  much  as  the  name  of  Mofio,  whose  territory 
indeed  was  300  miles  distant,  but  whose 'reputation,  as  one  of 
the  chief  Niam-niam  princes,  might  have  been  presumed  to 
be  wide-spread. 

Another  occasion  very  shortly  afterwards  had  the  effect  of 
impressing  the  people  about  me  with  a  very  lofty  notion  of 
the  good  genius  which  presided  over  my  fortune,  and  pro- 
tected me  from  injury.  A  traveller  who  has  learnt  experi- 
ence will  understand  the  desirableness  of  turning  the  pro- 
gress of  events  to  the  advantage  of  his  personal  reputation. 
As  I  was  about  to  take  my  seat  of  honour  at  Surroor's  side 
on  a  Monbuttoo  bench,  my  life  for  the  third  time  was  im- 
perilled by  a  bullet  fired  from  the  neighbouring  Seriba.  The 

Vol.  L— 33 


474: 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


descending  ball  passed  close  to  my  left,  and  within  a  few 
inches  of  my  forehead ;  glancing  off  the  palm-sticks  which 
were  attached  to  my  seat,  it  dashed  through  the  roof  of  an 
adjacent  hut.  However  much  I  may  have  been  alarmed,  I 
succeeded  entirely  in  disguising  my  terror.  The  Nubians  do 
not  possess  any  wad-hooks  for  extracting  either  cartridges  or 
bullets ;  their  guns  consequently  have  to  be  discharged  in 
order  to  keep  them  clean  and  in  proper  condition.  It  may 
therefore  be  imagined  that  in  the  vicinity  of  a  Nubian  camp 
there  is  a  perpetual  whirring  and  whizzing  in  the  air  from 
the  incidental  firing  of  these  stray  shots. 

Hunting  in  this  place,  as  far  as  we  were  concerned,  was 
not  to  be  thought  of,  as  the  region  was  far  too  thickly  popu- 
lated, and  the  Niam-niam  themselves  are  such  devoted 
huntsmen  that  they  leave  nothing  for  the  stranger  beyond 
the  few  francolins  and  guinea-fowl  which  may  escape  their 
snares. 

During  our  sojourn,  Mohammed  Aboo  Sammat,  with  his 
faithful  black  body-guard  of  true  Zandey,  had  arrived  from 
the  Mittoo  country.  The  entire  united  forces  then  prepared 
to  advance  to  the  south,  Ghattas's  agent  and  plenipotentiary 
not  considering  that  a  division  could  be  ventured  upon  until 
we  had  gained  sufficient  assurance  of  the  peaceful  intentions 
of  Wando,  whose  territory  we  should  have  to  cross  upon  our 
route.  Any  apprehensions  of  hostility,  however,  were  soon 
allayed,  and  for  a  time  all  went  well. 

By  the  25th  of  February  all  the  preparations  for  marching 
were  complete,  and,  reckoning  all  Aboo  Sammat's  and 
Ghattas's  people,  we  were  a  body  of  little  short  of  1000 
strong.  Our  marching  column  was  not  much  less  than  four 
miles  in  length,  so  that  it  happened  more  than  once,  after  a 
short  day's  march,  that  those  in  front  were  erecting  their 
huts  with  leaves  and  grass  before  those  in  the  rear  had  lost 
sight  of  the  smoke  of  the  encampment  of  the  previous  night. 
'   Just  before  starting  Mohammed  had  sent  some  of  his 


FEEDING  THE  BEAKERS.  475 

dependents  back  to  Sabby,  and  I  took  the  opportunity  of  re- 
mitting by  them  the  botanical  collection  which  I  had  made. 
Amongst  other  plants  were  two  specimens  of  the  remarkable 
Cycadea,  which  after  all  the  vicissitudes  of  travel  arrived  in 
Europe  in  a  state  of  vitality. 

Only  a  small  portion  of  my  reserve  of  cattle  was  now 
remaining,  and  the  maintenance  of  the  men  in  the  Seriba 
had  quite  exhausted  the  stores  ;  to  Mohammed's  great  annoy- 
ance, even  the  sorghum-seed,  which  was  to  have  been  con- 
veyed to  Munza,  king  of  the  Monbuttoo,  as  a  curiosity,  had 
been  consumed  as  material  of  diet,  and  thus  the  heart  of 
Africa  had  been  deprived  of  one  advance  in  culture. 

We  proceeded,  first  of  all,  two  leagues  in  a  westerly  direc- 
tion, and  after  crossing  the  Nabambisso  and  two  smaller 
streams,  we  made  our  necessary  halt.  It  was  on  the  western 
boundary  of  the  cultivated  district  subject  to  Aboo  Sammat, 
and  before  we  could  venture  to  quit  it,  an  adequate  relay  of 
provisions  had  to  be  procured  from  the  neighbourhood. 

The  feeding  of  the  bearers  was  an  animated  scene,  enlivened 
as  it  was  by  the  concourse  of  some  hundreds  of  the  Niam- 
niam  people.  The  provision  for  the  most  part  consisted  of 
great  lumps  of  pappy  dough  piled  upon  broad  leaves,  and 
served  with  strong-smelling  sauces  which  were  brought  in 
pots,  bowls,  calabashes,  and  vessels  of  every  variety.  Drawn 
up  on  one  side,  in  groups  arranged  according  to  the  order 
of  their  arrival,  stood  the  bearers,  whilst  the  Niam-niam  in 
throngs  took  their  position  on  the  other,  and  many  an  eager 
glance  was  thrown  upon  the  preparations  for  the  general 
repast.  I  took  my  sketch-book  in  my  hand,  and  wandering 
through  the  ranks  preserved  my  observations  of  the  diver- 
sified tattooing  which  everywhere  arrested  the  eye. 

To  judge  from  the  representations  which  have  been  given 
us  by  Du  Chaillu,  Griffon,  and  other  travellers,  I  should  say 
that  in  external  appearance  the  Niam-niam  very  much  re- 
semble the  people  of  the  Fan  on  the  Gaboon.    The  two  races 


476 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


adopt  a  similar  fashion  of  dressing  their  hair;  both  alike 
have  the  reputation  of  being  cannibals ;  and  from  all  ac- 
counts their  domestic  arrangements  are  not  very  different. 

Almost  immediately  after  starting  on  the  following  morn- 
ing we  crossed  the  Nabambisso,  and  our  course  subsequently 
lay  across  a  group  of  low  mounds  of  gneiss  covered  with  an 
interesting  vegetation.  Here  grew  in  great  abundance  the 
Selaginella  rujpestris,  clothing  the  bare  rock  with  a  graceful 
carpet  of  verdure ;  and  here,  too,  for  the  first  time  since 
leaving  the  Eed  Sea,  I  was  greeted  with  the  sight  of  the 
Abyssinian  aloe  with  its  fiery  barb.  This  plant  belongs  to 
the  flora  of  the  loftiest  mountains ;  but  although  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  country  was  scarcely  more  than  2500  feet,  yet  it 
was  sufficiently  high  to  permit  the  plant  to  thrive ;  in  Nubia, 
too,  it  flourishes  at  an  altitude  hardly  higher  than  that  in 
which  it  is  conspicuous  here.  After  surmounting  the  gneiss 
rocks  we  crossed  the  Nabambisso  for  the  second  time,  and 
marching  onwards  in  a  southerly  direction  we  reached  a  wide 
depression,  called  Yabongo,  enclosed  by  dense  bushes  like  the 
"  Luche "  in  the  Mark  of  Brandenburg,  or  perhaps  still 
more  like  a  meadow-pool  in  the  sense  of  the  "  nyalnyam  " 
of  Borneo.  On  the  edge  of  the  water  many  wild  Phoenix 
of  both,  sexes  were  flourishing  with  greater  magnificence 
than  any  I  had  yet  seen,  their  stems  running  to  the  height 
of  some  twenty  feet.  For  a  distance  now  there  were  no 
watercourses  above  ground  to  be  seen,  and  shortly  after- 
wards we  entered  upon  another  valley  which  was  dis- 
tinguished by  the  name  of  Yabo.  The  interval  between 
the  two  hollows  was  filled  by  woodlands,  graceful  as  parks, 
and  adorned  by  many  a  large-leaved  fig-tree  bearing  a 
multitude  of  figs  much  larger  than  those  we  ever  grow. 

While  we  were  here,  one  of  the  Bongo  bearers  died  from 
the  effects  of  eating  manioc  before  it  had  been  prepared  and 
divested  of  its  poisonous  parts.  For  twenty-four  hours  before 
his  death  he  had  lain  in  a  state  of  coma,  and  a  strong  emetic 


CONSIDERATION  FOR  BEARERS. 


477 


had  been  entirely  without  effect.  In  the  Niam-niam  coun- 
tries the  manioc  roots  are  of  the  same  uncertain  quality  as 
those  of  South  America,  and  the  Bongo  being  unfamiliar 
with  the  differences,  often  do  themselves  serious  injury  on 
their  expeditions  by  partaking  of  them  indiscrimately. 

Not  long  afterwards  another  of  th*e  Bongo  people  was 
carried  off  by  a  lion  from  the  side  of  a  bivouac  fire  ;  and  these 
two  were  the  only  deaths  that  occurred  in  the  course  of  the 
two  months  that  Mohammed's  caravan  was  on  its  outward 
way.  Probably  much  was  due  to  the  salubrity  of  the  air, 
which  contributed  to  make  the  men  superior  to  the  drawback 
of  unwholesome  food,  and  to  all  the  exertions,  fatigues,  and 
deprivations  to  which  they  had  to  submit;  but  beyond  a 
doubt  the  fact  spoke  volumes  for  the  considerate  treatment 
that  the  bearers  received  from  Mohammed.  He  spared  his 
people  most  studiously,  and  often  rated  the  soldiers  very 
severely  whenever  they  were  impatient  or  harsh  with  the 
bearers ;  he  personally  superintended  the  distribution  of  all 
the  corn,  and  in  his  anger  I  have  heard  him  revile  the  troops, 
telling  them  that  they  were  good-for-nothing  rascals  who  only 
knew  how  to  go  to  sleep,  and  how  to  bully  the  bearers. 

Towards  noon  on  the  27th  of  March  we  reached  the  Uzze, 
a  small  river  running  almost  parallel  with  the  Sway,  and  of 
about  the  same  dimensions  as  the  Hoo,  only  having  a  much 
slower  current.  The  river-bed  was  twenty-five  feet  wide,  but 
at  this  period  there  was  not  more  than  a  two-foot  depth  of 
water.  The  stream  flowed  along  an  .open  plain,  unrelieved 
by  trees,  but  animated  by  many  herds  of  buffaloes,  which  we 
did  not  now  stay  to  chase,  but  which  afforded  us  excellent 
sport  upon  our  way  back.  About  two  miles  to  the  south  of 
the  Uzze  we  crossed  the  Yubbo,  the  two  rivers  here  being 
quite  close  together,  although  they  diverge  again  to  a  dis- 
tance of  several  leagues  towards  the  west  before  they  ulti- 
mately unite  and  join  the  Sway. 

The  Yubbo  at  this  time  was  fifty  feet  wide,  and  like  the 


478 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFKICA. 


Uzze  was  only  two  feet  deep;  it  meandered  along  a  low 
steppe  which  was  obviously  subjected  to  inundation,  a  fact 
that  testified  to  the  importance  of  the  river  in  the  rainy 
season.  Estimated  merely  with  reference  to  the  length  of 
its  course,  the  Yubbo  might  compete  with  the  Sway  for  the 
honour  of  being  chief  among  the  original  stream-sources  whicli 
make  up  the  Dyoor,  but  the  comparison  of  the  volume  of 
water  which  the  separate  rivers  contain  demonstrates  that  it 
really  performs  a  very  subsidiary  part.  Another  argument 
that  very  pointedly  tends  to  prove  that  the  Sway  is  really 
the  main  source  rests  upon  the  fact  that  the  natives  distin- 
guish it,  at  its  earliest  risings,  in  the  defiles  of  the  Bagiuze, 
by  the  same  name  that  the  Dyoor  itself  bears  among  the 
Niam-niam  in  what  were  formerly  the  states  of  Tombo.  The 
development  of  the  Sway,  from  the  aggregated  confluence  of 
a  number  of  smaller  streams,  is  as  characteristic  an  example 
of  "  river-sources  *'  as  the  records  of  geographical  science  can 
furnish. 

After  crossing  the  deep  hollow  of  the  bed  of  the  Yubbo, 
we  met  some  messengers  who  had  been  despatched  by  Nduppo, 
Wando's  brother,  to  bid  us  welcome.  Nduppo  was  chief 
of  a  district  subject  to  his  brother,  with  whom,  however,  he 
was  by  no  means  on  good  terms.  From  Nduppo  himself, 
of  course,  we  had  no  hostilities  to  fear,  as  nothing  could  be  of 
more  importance  to  him  than  to  preserve  his  friendly  rela- 
tions with  Mohammed.  As  we  arrived  at  his  mbanga  some 
hours  before  night,  I  had  time  to  make  a  short  visit  to  a  deep 
ravine  at  no  great  distance,  that  was  watered  by  a  streamlet 
called  the  Nakofoh,  w^hich  was  almost  hidden  by  the  dense 
groves  upon  its  bank. 

Our  camp  had  meanwhile  been  improvised,  a  number  of 
grass  huts  having  been  speedily  erected  because  of  the 
threatening  aspect  of  the  sky ;  towards  evening  for  some 
days  past  there  had  been  the  appearance  as  if  a  storm  were 
rising,  but  rain  had  only  fallen  twice  since  the  beginning  of 


ADMIRING  THE  WHITE  MAN. 


479 


the  month,  and  even  now  the  clouds  were  broken.  On  reach- 
ing the  encampment  I  found  Ndu[)po  himself  in  company 
with  Mohammed.  I  joined  them  at  once,  being  as  anxious 
as  anyone  to  get  what  intelligence  I  could  about  Wando  and 
his  intentions.  It  transpired  that  the  feud  between  Nduppo 
and  his  brother  had  become  so  violent  in  rancour  that  Nduppo 
avowed  that  he  lived  in  constant  terror  of  being  attacked 
and  murdered  by  Wando's  soldiers,  and  this  cruel  destiny 
which  he  foreboded  did  actually  befall  him  a  very  few  days 
after  our  departure.  For  ourselves,  the  following  day  would 
decide  whether  we  were  to  have  peace  or  war. 

Our  next  move  was  to  the  quarters  of  Eikkete,  another 
brother  of  Wando's,  and  who,  holding  the  office  of  behnky, 
had  remained  faithful  in  his  allegiance,  and  was  consequently 
in  avowed  hostility  to  Nduppo.  The  three  brothers  were 
part  of  the  numerous  family  of  Bazimbey,  whose  extensive 
dominions,  a  few  years  previously,  had  been  divided  into  six 
small  principalities,  a  heritage  which  was  a  perpetual  apple 
of  discord  amongst  his  sons.  Bazimbey  was  one  of  the  six 
sons  of  Yapahti,  who  still  retain  their  rule  over  nearly  all 
the  eastern  countries  of  the  Niam-niam. 

My  personal  appearance  aroused  the  most  vivid  interest  on 
the  part  of  Nduppo  and  his  suite.  Their  curiosity  seemed 
insatiable,  aifd  they  never  wearied  in  their  inquiries  as  to  my 
origin.  Theirs  were  the  first  exclamations  of  a  kind  w^iich 
more  or  less  frequently  continued  to  be  made  throughout  the 
rest  of  my  journey.  To  their  mind  the  mystery  was  as  to 
where  I  could  have  come  from ;  my  hair  was  the  greatest  of 
enigmas  to  them;  it  gave  me  a  supernatural  look,  and 
accordingly  they  asked  whether  I  had  been  dropped  from 
the  clouds  or  was  a  visitor  from  the  moon,  and  could  not 
believe  that  anything  like  me  had  been  seen  before. 

And  with  regard  to  this  appearance  of  mine,  I  may 
mention  that  amongst  these  people  of  the  far  interior  it 
hardly  seemed  to  be  the  colour  of  my  skin  that  principally 


480 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


excited  their  astonishment,  for  even  in  the  remotest  re  gions 
of  Central  Africa,  tribes  that  have  no  conception  of  an  ocean 
are  aware  of  the  existence  of  white  men ;  but  it  was  invari- 
ably my  long  straight  hair  that  caused  their  chief  surprise, 
my  own  purpose  in  letting  my  hair  grow  to  an  unusual 
length  being  that  I  might  be  identified  at  once  amid  all  the 
countless  shades  of  complexion  that  were  found  amongst 
the  Nubians.  I  enquired  whether  they  had  not  seen  the 
traveller  Piaggia,  that  white  man  who  but  a  few  years 
ago  had  been  staying  in  their  parts  with  king  Tombo ; 
but  they  replied  that  although  they  had  heard  about 
him,  they  had  never  seen  him.  In  my  way,  therefore,  I  was 
quite  unique,  and  truly  a  desideratum  in  their  ethnographical 
experience. 

Nduppo  communicated  to  us  many  particulars  about  his 
brothers,  and  about  the  warfare  that  was  carried  on  between 
them,  and  informed  us  likewise  of  the  death  of  Bazimbey's 
brother  Tombo,  who  had  entertained  Piaggia  with  so  much 
hospitality.  Tombo's  kingdom,  it  appeared,  had  likewise 
been  cut  up  into  a  number  of  smaller  states  which  still 
retained  all  their  national  hostility  to  the  intruders  from 
Khartoom.  The  residence  at  which  Bazimbey  had  lived, 
during  his  sovereignty,  was  pointed  out  to  me,  at  a  distance 
which,  I  should  presume,  was  about  25  miles.  *  It  was  ex- 
plained to  me  that  a  messenger,  if  he  were  strong  and  could 
walk  well,  could  accomplish  the  journey  in  a  day,  but,  it  was 
added  that  he  must  not  halt  on  the  way,  and  that  he  would 
have  to  get  on  apace  like  a  Niam-niam,  and  not  to  dawdle 
like  a  Bongo  bearer  carrying  his  load. 

Throughout  the  whole  of  the  territory  that  was  subject  to 
Wando,  the  clothing  of  all  the  people  consisted  of  skins,  as  the 
fig-tree,  of  which  tlie  bark  is  so  generally  used  in  the  south, 
does  not  thrive  here  at  all  well.  For  all  those  who  require 
it,  the  bark  has  to  be  imported  from  the  country  of  the 
Monbuttoo,  and  is  consequently  an  article  of  luxury.  Skins 


ABUNDANCE  OF  SKINS. 


481 


can  ordinarily  be  obtained  at  a  price  which  seemed  to  me 
ridiculously  small.  For  the  purpose  of  getting  a  few 
trifling  additions  which  were  necessary  for  my  cuisine  I  was 
in  the  habit  of  breaking  up  some  of  my  larger  copper  rings 
into  little  bits,  and  I  was  very  pleased  to  find  how  far  these 
copper  fragments  would  go  in  making  purchases  of  skins  of 
various  kinds.  In  this  way  I  bought  a  fine  otter  skin  (pro- 
bably Lutra  inunguis,  Cuv.)  for  about  threepence,  genet 
skins  for  about  a  penny  apiece,  and  those  of  the  Goldbus 
quereza  for  a  very  little  more.  Very  plentiful  and  conse- 
quently equally  cheap  were  the  skins  of  civets,  Herpestes 
fasciatus,  Felis  maniculata,  F.  caraoal  and  F.  serval.  The 
skins  of  the  smaller  kinds  of  antelopes,  too,  were  very 
frequently  offered  for  sale,  especially  those  of  the  beautiful 
Antilo^e  serif  ta  (the  harness  bush-bock  of  South  Africa)  and 
of  A.  grimmia,  A.  madoqua,  and  the  long-haired  water-bock 
{A.  difassa).  It  is  very  strange  how,  notwithstanding  this 
extraordinary  abundance  and  cheapness  of  skins,  traffic  in 
them,  as  an  article  of  commerce,  is  entirely  unknown  in 
Khartoom,  where  the  dealers  seem  to  have  no  suspicion  of 
the  large  demand  there  undoubtedly  would  be.  Leopard 
skins,  it  may  be  added,  were  comparatively  rare,  and  were 
only  used  by  royal  personages  to  line  their  shields,  or  accord- 
ing to  their  own  special  prerogative,  to  encircle  their  heads. 
Nduppo  wore  a  serval-skin,  of  which  the  ends  drooped  in 
graceful  folds  over  his  neck  and  shoulders,  whilst  great  pins, 
headed  with  pieces  cut  from  the  tail  of  the  Sciurus  leucum- 
hrinus,  held  it  firmly  fastened  to  his  luxuriant  hair. 

Aboo  Sammat  was  known  amongst  the  Niam-niam  by  the 
name  of  "  Mbahly  "  or  the  little  one,"  a  designation  given 
him  long  ago  by  the  people,  on  account  of  the  youthful  age 
at  which  he  had  entered  their  country.  JSTduppo  informed 
'^us  that  Wando  had  declared,  with  what  was  tantamount  to 
an  oath,  that  Mbahly  should  not  this  time  escape,  but  that 
he  and  all  his  crew  should  be  annihilated  :  he,  moreover, 


482 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


told  us  that  the  threats  had  extended  to  myself.  Wando, 
he  said,  avowed  that  he  did  not  want  any  presents,  and  that 
all  the  beads  in  the  world  were  nothing  to  him  ;  if  any  offer- 
ings were  sent  he  would  trample  them  in  the  grass ;  if  any 
stuffs  were  given  him  he  would  rip  them  into  shreds  ;  plenty 
of  copper  he  had  already,  and  for  that  matter,  plenty  of 
ivory  too,  but  he  did  not  intend  to  part  with  any  of  it. 

For  a  long  time  it  perplexed  me  to  discover  the  reason 
of  Wando's  animosity.  Only  two  years  previously  he  and 
Mohammed  had  been  on  the  most  friendly  terms.  Mohammed 
had  visited  him  at  his  home,  and  the  two  had  entered  into 
the  closest  alliance,  which  had  been  sealed  by  Mohammed 
marrying  his  daughter,  who  as  I  have  already  mentioned, 
was  now  one  of  the  first  ladies  in  the  harem  of  Boiko.  But, 
meanwhile,  Mohammed  had  been  in  Khartoom,  and  during 
his  absence  he  had  entrusted  the  charge  of  his  expeditions 
to  his  brother,  who  had  fallen  out  with  Wando.  Mutual 
recriminations  led  to  mutual  plunder,  and  Wando  was  now 
in  a  rage  that  could  not  easily  be  suppressed. 

Nduppo  led  us  to  understand  that  in  the  course  of  our 
next  march  we  should  receive  definite  tidings  of  Wando's 
intentions.  If  an  attack  were  resolved  upon,  his  whole  force 
would  be  assembled  and  we  should  be  prevented  from  going 
on  to  Eikkete ;  but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  we  were  permitted 
to  reach  Kikkete  unmolested  we  might  then  be  sure  that 
there  would  be  a  temporary  peace.  And  this  in  reality  we 
found  to  be  the  case.  As  we  were  approaching  Kikkete  we 
were  met  by  Wando's  envoys  bringing  the  accustomed  con- 
ciliatory flasks  of  beer.  Various  circumstances  might  have 
weighed  with  the  chieftain  to  induce  him  to  postpone  his 
outbreak.  It  is  possible  that  he  considered  that  while  Aboo 
Sammat's  and  Ghattas's  companies  were  united  and  could 
muster  300  guns,  the  time  was  not  arrived  for  an  attack ;  he 
also  reckoned,  with  true  African  craftiness,  that  it  would  be 
more  advantageous  to  himself  to  fall  upon  us  on  our  way 


PRECAUTIONS. 


483 


back  from  the  Monbuttoo.  He  imagined,  moreover,  that 
all  our  valuables  which  he  now  so  contemptuously  rejected 
would  fall  into  his  hands  without  the  necessity  of  any  ivory 
traffic  at  all,  and  that  our  stores  (as  being  an  unnecessary 
burden  to  be  carried  to  the  Monbuttoo  and  back)  would  be 
deposited  in  his  charge  until  our  return ;  and  in  addition 
to  all  this,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  he  counted  with  some 
certainty  upon  receiving  plenty  of  presents  from  the  liberal 
Kenoosian. 

In  order  to  be  ready  in  a  moment  for  any  emergency,  our 
caravan  for  the  first  time,  on  the  28th  of  February,  set  out 
on  its  journey  with  its  disposition  arranged  according  to  the 
rules  of  Nubian  warfare.  The  entire  body  being  drawn  out 
in  columns,  the  whole  of  the  armed  force  was  divided  into 
three  companies,  each  headed  by  its  own  banner.  In  front 
of  all  marched  the  first  division  of  the  troops,  followed  by 
the  bearers  with  the  linen  goods,  the  bars  of  copper,  and  the 
store  of  beads;  in  the  middle  of  the  train  was  the  second 
division,  which  had  charge  of  the  bulk  of  the  ammunition, 
chests  of  cartridges  and  boxes  of  powder  and  caps;  then 
followed  the  women  and  female  slaves,  whilst  the  third 
division  brought  up  the  rear.  For  the  general  security  it 
was  ordered  that  no  straggler  should  be  permitted  to  lag 
behind  or  to  go  farther  back  than  the  standard-bearer  at  the 
head  of  the  third  division.  From  the  nature  of  the  path 
all  were  obliged  to  march  in  single  file,  and  thus  our  train, 
although  as  compact  as  possible,  swelled  out  to  an  enormous 
length.  Independently  of  the  main  body,  a  troop  of  native 
soldiers,  composed  of  Bongo  and  Niam-niam  slaves,  that 
had  been  armed  and  well  trained  by  Aboo  Sammat,  was 
now  detached  to  reconnoitre  the  thickets  in  front  and  on 
either  hand,  and  to  make  sure  that  the  advance  was  safe. 
As  a  general  rule,  these  blacks  made  much  more  effective 
soldiers  than  the  Nubians,  and  upon  them  fell  the  heaviest 
of  all  the  work  of  war.    Their  employment  of  hunting,  which 


484 


THE  HEART  OF  AFKiCA. 


is  a  pursuit  much  too  laborious  for  their  oppressors,  makes 
them  far  more  expert  and  practised  shots,  and  besides  this, 
they  are  heartier  in  their  work  and  fear  neither  wind  nor 
weather. 

Whilst  all  the  Nubians  who  carry  guns  are  dignified  by  the 
high-sounding  title  of  "  Assaker  "  (soldiers),  the  natives  who 
may  be  enlisted  are  called  in  the  common  jargon  of  the 
Soudan  Arabic,  either  "  Narakeek,"  "  Farookh  "  or  "  Bazin- 
gir."  The  precise  etymology  of  these  various  designations 
I  could  never  ascertain.  There  are,  however,  some  words 
which  occur  so  frequently  in  the  conversation  of  the  Khar- 
toomers  that  they  become  indispensable  for  fully  describing 
the  details  of  service  in  the  countries  of  the  Upper  Nile. 
The  "Narakeek,"  for  instance,  would  appear  to  be  the 
only  men  who  are  trusted  with  the  heavier  guns,  of  which 
a  considerable  number,  originally  intended,  no  doubt,  for 
elephant-hunting,  are  now  found  in  the  companies  of  the 
Khartoomers,  and  form  what  might  be  called  their  artillery. 
Mohammed  Aboo  Sammat  had  twenty  of  these  guns,  of 
which  I  ascertained  that  the  majority  were  manufactured  by 
Roos  of  Stuttgard.  They  are  not  loaded  either  with  conical 
shot  or  with  explosive  bullets,  but  merely  with  a  handful 
of  heavy  deer-shot ;  their  action  is  very  effective,  and  their 
first  discharge  amongst  a  party  of  savages  rarely  fails  to 
send  them  scampering  off  at  full  speed. 

It  was  in  crossing  the  beds  of  the  brooks  and  in  getting 
through  the  thickets  that  bounded  them  that  the  greatest 
precautions  were  requisite.  All  our  long  experience  had 
made  us  quite  aware  how  easily  a  caravan  may  be  thrown  out 
of  marching  order  and  put  into  the  greatest  confusion  by  the 
mere  irregularity  of  the  soil,  and  under  such  circumstances 
every  attempt  at  defence  must  be  unavailing  :  bullets  might 
do  some  service  when  deliberately  aimed  at  an  open  foe,  but 
would  be  utterly  useless  when  fired  at  random  from  amidst 
a  labyrinth  of  trees  or  in  the  obscurity  of  a  thicket. 


CAMP-LIFE. 


486 


Between  three  and  four  hours  were  occupied  in  reaching 
Rikkete's  mbanga.  Half-way  on  our  road,  after  crossing  three 
smaller  streams,  we  came  to  a  larger  one,  which,  like  the  others 
flowing  to  the  south  and  to  the  east,  passed  near  the  hamlets 
which  lay  contiguous  to  Nduppo's  frontier.  Here  we  halted 
for  our  morning  meal.  The  bearers  ransacked  acre  after 
acre  for  the  sweet-potatoes  which  were  in  cultivation  in  this 
district,  where  also,  for  the  first  time  in  our  descent  from  the 
north,  we  found  manioc  plantations  of  any  magnitude.  Only 
in  deference  to  an  express  order  that  the  poultry  which  was 
running  about  the  forsaken  huts  should  be  respected  as  the 
property  of  others,  did  the  people  abstain  from  catching  the 
hens  and  chickens  that  were  within  their  reach,  but  it  was  an 
act  of  self-denial,  and  they  were  compelled  to  content  them- 
selves with  plantains  cooked  in  ashes.  Altogether  it  was  a 
motley  picture  of  African  camp-life :  the  ravaged  lands,  the 
chattels  of  the  fugitives  scattered  all  around,  the  variety  of 
platters,  the  corn-bins,  the  wooden  mortars,  the  stools,  the 
mats,  and  the  baskets,  all  tumbled  about  at  the  pleasure  of 
the  intruders,  conspired  to  make  a  spectacle  of  confusion 
so  utter  and  so  hopeless  that  the  only  relief  was  in  resigna- 
tion. 

Beyond  the  stream  our  path  turned  directly  to  the  south  ; 
hitherto  its  direction,  though  winding,  had  been  mainly 
west.  The  continual  fluctuations  in  the  level  of  the  land 
made  me  suspect  that  we  were  'really  approaching  that 
watershed  of  the  Nile  for  which  I  had  been  looking  with 
such  eager  and  impatient  expectation.  The  ground,  that  had 
been  sloping  down  towards  the  west  all  the  way  to  Nduppo's 
mbanga,  we  now  found  sloping  down  towards  the  east,  so  that 
the  streams  that  proceeded  from  this  district  to  meet  the 
Yubbo  for  a  while  flowed  in  a  direction  exactly  opposite  to 
that  of  the  stream  they  were  about  to  join.  A  comparatively 
important  stream,  the  Lindukoo,  at  a  little  distance  received 
all  these  other  streams  into  its  channel  and  was  the  last 


486 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


water  connected  with  the  system  of  the  Nile  that  we 
had  to  cross.  Over  steepish  hills,  along  defiles  of  slippery 
clay  and  through  clefts  and  ravines  which  the  rain-torrents 
had  capriciously  hollowed  out,  our  road  led  us  onward  to 
Kikkete.  Contrary  to  our  expectations  we  were  received 
amidst  the  mingled  noise  of  drum  and  trumpet,  whilst  a 
deputy  from  the  chieftain  stood  in  front  of  his  huts  to  bid 
us  welcome. 

We  encamped  upon  some  ground  that  was  still  fallow,  for 
the  few  showers  that  had  fallen  were  only  the  forerunners  of 
the  settled  rain  which  lasts  from  May  till  October,  and  had 
had  little  effect  upon  the  soil,  so  that  the  sowing  of  the 
crops  had  not  yet  commenced.  Our  camp  was  close  to  some 
groups  of  huts  that  were  inhabited  by  Rikkete's  wives  and 
retinue ;  and  behind  it,  under  the  shadow  of  imposing  banks, 
flowed  a  brook  called  the  Atazilly. 

Mohammed  entered  into  very  amicable  relations  with 
Rikkete,  and  not  only  obtained  some  valuable  tusks  from 
him  by  way  of  traffic,  but  secured  an  ample  supply  of  pro- 
visions for  the  immediate  use  of  the  caravan.  Towards 
evening  some  messengers  arrived  from  Wando,  confirming 
his  friendly  intentions  and  bringing,  as  peaceful  pledges,  an 
offering  of  flasks  of  eleusine-beer.  At  night  we  were  in  com- 
pany with  Rikkete,  and  Riharn  my  cook,  who  had  but  few 
opportunities  of  displaying  that  skill  in  the  culinary  art 
which  he  prided  himself  'upon  learning  in  the  large  hotel  at 
Cairo,  prepared  some  farinaceous  dish  in  the  European  style 
with  which  I  entertained  the  Niam-niam  magnate.  The 
article  that  seemed  to  puzzle  the  people  most  was  our  sugar ; 
they  could  not  comprehend  how  it  should  have  all  the  appear- 
£ince  of  stone  and  yet  melted  in  the  mouth,  tasting  like  the 
juice  of  their  native  sugar-cane,  which  was  cultivated  among 
them,  although  not  to  any  great  extent. 

Before  tasting  the  proffered  beer,  Mohammed  insisted  upon 
Wando's  emissaries  emptying  one  gourd-shell  after  another 


DIVISION  OF  THE  FORCE. 


487 


for  their  own  enjoyment,  a  proceeding  which  had  the  effect 
of  considerably  elevating  the  spirits  of  the  party.  The 
Nubian  soldiers,  pleased  at  the  pacific  turn  that  matters  had 
taken,  passed  the  night  in  chanting  their  carote,  accompanied 
by  the  strains  of  the  tarabuka ;  and  the  Bongo  and  Mittoo 
revelled  and  danced  for  many  hours  in  their  own  fashion  to 
the  sound  of  their  kettle-drums  and  horns. 

There  seemed  now  to  remain  no  further  obstacle  in  the 
way  of  the  separation  of  the  two  companies  ;  and,  in  order  to 
complete  the  preliminary  arrangements  for  the  division,  it 
was  decided  that  we  must  remain  for  a  whole  day  with 
Eikkete,  a  determination  which  was  hailed  by  myself  with 
much  satisfaction.  Grhattas's  corps  was  to  be  accompanied 
by  a  detachment  of  one  hundred  of  Aboo  Sammat's  soldiers, 
aftd  to  take  its  departure  for  what  formerly  had  been 
Keefa's  territories  in  the  west  and  south-west,  where  they 
hoped  to  transact  a  remunerative  business,  because,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  absconding  of  the  natives,  the  main  company 
of  Grhattas  had  been  left  destitute  of  any  bearers.  After  the 
reduction,  an  armed  force  of  175  was  left  for  our  protection 
as  we  proceeded  on  the  remainder  of  our  way  to  the 
Monbuttoo. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  I  paid  Kikkete  a  visit  at 
his  residence  in  the  village,  and  made  him  what  I  considered 
a  handsome  present  of  beads  of  a  pattern  superior  to  what 
had  ever  before  been  seen  in  this  part  of  Africa.  I,  how- 
ever, received  no  present  in  return,  but  on  the  contrary 
had  to  pay  for  the  simplest  things  with  which  I  was 
supplied;  whether  they  were  sweet-potatoes,  colocasise,  or 
poultry.  The  Niam-niam  are  an  acquisitive  people,  and 
never  lose  an  opportunity  to  increase  their  store  of  copper, 
attaching  comparatively  little  importance  to  any  other  wealth. 
Once  when  I  was  complaining  that  in  spite  of  my  liberality 
I  could  not  obtain  the  most  trifling  articles  for  cooking  with- 
out giving  a  full  price  for  them,  I  was  met  by  the  true 


488 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


African  answer  that  if  they  took  the  trouble  to  bring  me 
their  commodities  I  must  expect  to  pay  for  them. 

My  visit  to  Kikkete  over,  I  could  not  resist  spending  the 
day  of  our  halt  in  an  excursion.  Accordingly,  having  enlisted 
the  services  of  some  natives  as  guides,  I  started  off  with  all 
my  people,  who  had  to  carry  my  heterogeneous  appliances, 
which  consisted  of  guns,  portfolios,  boxes  large  and  small,  cases, 
ropes,  trowels,  stock-shears  and  hoes.  Crossing  the  Atazilly, 
and  wading  by  the  side  of  the  stream  through  the  swamps 
which  were  crowded  with  junsfles  of  amomum  as  high  as 
myself,  and  adorned  with  the  rosy  blossoms  of  the  Melasto- 
macese^  I  proceeded  for  three-quarters  of  a  league  across  the 
steppe  until  I  reached  the  stream  to  which  I  have  referred 
already,  called  the  Lindukoo  or  the  Undukoo. 

Here  there  opened  to  my  view  one  of  the  most  magnificent 
prospects  that  forest  scenery  could  afford ;  the  gigantic 
measure  of  some  of  the  trees  was  altogether  surprising,  but 
yet,  on  account  their  various  heights,  their  foliage  lay  as  it 
were  in  strata,  and  the  denseness  of  the  ramification  wove 
the  branches  into  a  chaos  as  picturesque  as  it  was  inextricable. 
A  merry  world  of  apes  was  gambolling  on  the  topmost 
boughs ;  two  of  the  larger  species  of  monkeys  (Gercoptheem) 
were  also  represented,  as  well  as  members  of  the  Galago 
family,  which  are  half-blinded  by  the  glare  of  daylight.  The 
Colohi,  too,  with  their  long  silvery  hair,  were  conspicuous  as 
they  flitted  across  the  dark  gaps  that  were  left  in  the  lower 
branches,  or  as  they  scampered  along  the  more  horizontal 
arras  of  the  trees  above.  Numerous,  however,  as  they  were, 
1  had  no  chance  of  securing  a  single  specimen,  as  my  shot, 
when  aimed  to  an  altitude  of  seventy  or  eighty  feet,  was  spent 
in  vain.  The  guinea-fowl,  as  ever,  afforded  prolific  sport, 
their  large  grey  bodies  standing  out  distinctly  against  the 
fresh  verdure ;  but  we  lost  a  great  many  that  were  hit,  in 
consequence  of  their  falling  into  the  midst  of  impenetrable 
masses  of  shrubs. 


RIKKETE'S  WIVES. 


489 


Accompanied  as  I  was  by  only  a  small  number  of  armed 
men,  I  could  not  be  otherwise  than  sensible  how  completely, 
if  they  chose,  I  was  in  the  power  of  the  natives.  I  was 
encouraged,  however,  to  believe  that  the  engagement  made 
was  perfectly  reliable,  as,  except  under  that  conviction,  con- 
sent would  never  have  been  given  for  the  armed  forces  to 
divide. 

My  Niam-niam  guides  rendered  me  the  greatest  service ; 
not  only  did  they  enter  very  heartily  into  my  pursuits, 
climbing  up  the  lofty  trees  without  hesitation  to  reach  the 
produce  of  the  topmost  boughs,  but  they  made  me  acquainted 
with  the  native  names  of  all  the  plants,  and  brought  me 
specimens  for  my  close  inspection  of  what  otherwise  I  could 
merely  see  at  a  distance,  and  in  the  confusion  of  promiscuous 
foliage. 

Though  the  hollow  gorge  of  the  river  sank  for  some  eighty 
feet,  there  were  trees  at  the  bottom  whose  crests  were  level 
with  the  land  above.  The  protruding  roots  amid  the  land- 
slips, just  as  in  our  own  mountain  hollows,  served  as  steps ; 
and  all  along,  abundant  as  in  Alpine  clefts,  there  sprung  up 
many  a  variety  of  graceful  ferns. 

I  proceeded  north-west  for  a  considerable  distance  up  the 
stream,  and  having  laboriously  crossed  and  recrossed  the 
swampy  bed  of  the  valley,  I  returned  in  the  evening  to  my 
quarters  with  my  portfolios  enriched  beyond  my  most  san- 
guine expectations.  Before  night,  I  repeated  my  visit  to 
Eikkete's  residence,  and  found  his  wives  sitting  on  the  open 
area  before  the  huts,  and  employed  in  their  several  domestic 
ways.  My  intrusion  appeared  to  give  the  ladies  great  uneasi- 
ness, and  the  interpreters  themselves  put  on  a  grave  look  of 
concern  and  were  ominously  silent.  I  was  just  about  to 
transfer  the  scene  to  my  sketch-book  when  Kikkete  sud- 
denly appeared.  He  reproached  me  vigorously,  insisted  upon 
knowing  what  business  I  had  amongst  his  wives,  and  de- 
manded how  I  presumed  to  go  to  his  huts  without  his 

Vol.  I.— 34 


490 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


knowledge  or  permission.  These  Niam-niam  wives  for  their 
part  were  very  passive,  and  as  quiet  and  reserved  as  though 
they  had  been  brought  up  amidst  the  refinements  of  a  Turkish 
harem.  Eikkete,  too,  was  soon  appeased.  He  was  a  true 
son  of  the  desert ;  but  his  general  demeanour,  the  reserve  of 
his  bearing,  and  the  moderation  of  his  tone,  were  worthy  of 
him  as  a  man  of  royal  blood  who,  conscious  of  his  sufleriority, 
could,  when  he  pleased,  converse  with  the  most  perfect  self- 
possession. 

In  my  subsequent  transactions  with  the  natives,  I  was 
again  offered  a  great  number  of  skins ;  this  time  skins  of 
genets,  which  were  represented  in  several  varieties.  I  dis- 
criminated them  into  three  sorts,  according  to  the  number  of 
the  stripes  made  by  the  spots  that  ran  along,  the  body.  The 
general  colour  appeared  to  change  with  the  creatures*  age. 
The  ground  colour  varied  from  a  light  ash-grey  to  a  deep 
yellowish  brown,  while  the  spots  ranged  from  the  colour  of 
coffee  to  a  perfect  black.  In  consequence  of  these  diversities 
zoologists  have  very  probably  been  misled,  and  have  been 
all  in  error  when  they  have  described  the  Viverra  genetta  as 
being  of  several  species. 

In  the  glimmer  of  dawn  we  were  aroused  by  the  accus- 
tomed signals.  Two  of  the  Bongo  in  Mohammed's  service 
had  learnt  at  Khartoom  how  to  blow  their  trumpets  and  beat 
their  drums  for  this  important  function,  and  they  sounded 
the  Turkish  reveil  admirably,  giving  it  the  full  roll  and 
proper  compass.  In  particular,  Inglery  the  trumpeter  was 
superb  in  his  execution,  and  the  astonished  woods  could  not 
too  often  re-echo  back  his  clanging  notes.  The  Niam-niam 
were  quite  delighted  with  the  strain,  and  frequently  could  be 
detected  humming  the  melody  to  themselves.  Wando  and 
Munza  alike  were  never  weary  of  urging  the  request  that 
Aboo  Sammat  would  either  make  them  a  present  of  his 
trumpeter,  or  allow  them  to  purchase  him  at  any  price  he 
might  elect  to  name ;  but  Inglery  was  the  joy  and  pride  of 


NIAM-NIAM  DiaNITY. 


491 


Mohammed,  and  in  his  way  was  quite  unique  throughout  the 
district  of  the  Upper  Nile  as  far  as  the  banner  of  Islam  had 
been  borne. 

Our  caravan  was  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  guides 
and  natives  who  were  eager  to  show  the  way,  as  a  stiff  day's 
march  was  before  us,  and  a  passage  over  several  difficult 
water- courses  had  to  be  accomplished.  The  morning  toilette 
of  the  Niam-niam  guides  was  singular  enough.  In  order  to 
protect  themselves  against  the  chilly  damp  of  the  early  dew 
as  they  marched  along  the  narrow  pathways  of  the  steppes, 
they  covered  the  entire  front  of  their  body  with  some  large 
skins,  which  made  them  look  as  if  they  wore  coopers'  aprons. 
For  this  purpose  there  is  no  skin  that  looks  more  picturesque 
than  that  of  the  bush-bock,  with  its  rows  of  white  spots  and 
stripes  upon  a  yellow  ochre  ground.  The  bearing  of  the 
Niam-niam  is  always  chivalrous  as  becomes  a  people  devoted 
to  war  and  to  the  chase,  exhibiting  a  very  strong  contrast  to 
the  unpolished  nonchalance  of  the  Bongo,  the  Mittoo,  and 
even  of  the  finicking  Arabians.  The  Niam-niam  might  be 
introduced  straight  upon  the  stage,  and  would  be  faultless  in 
the  symmetry  with  which  they  would  go  through  their  poses. 

Our  way  took  a  turn  beyond  the  Atazilly  across  the  same 
steppe  over  which  we  had  passed  yesterday.  After  an  hour 
we  arrived  again  at  the  Lindukoo,  which  here  forms  a  con- 
siderable cataract  of  some  thirty  feet  deep,  falling  over  the 
worn  and  polished  gneiss.  A  thick  bank-wood  shaded  the 
rocks,  which  were  charmingly  adorned  with  the  rarest  ferns, 
and  a  regular  jungle  of  tangled  foliage  canopied  the  depth 
beneath  which  the  rosy  blooming  ginger-bushes  grew  as  tall 
as  a  man  and  scented  the  air  with  their  fine  aroma.  Just  for 
half-an-hour  we  halted  upon  the  high  and  dry  levels  that 
\^  found,  and  regaled  ourselves  with  refreshment  from  our 
store  of  provisions. 

An  early  rest  like  this  was  quite  common  with  us,  for  in 
the  confusion  of  our  starting  at  the  dawn  of  day  there  was 


492 


THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 


seldom  any  leisure  at  all  to  think  of  breakfast.  Our  leader, 
neither  proud  nor  upstart,  but  like  all  Nubians,  whose  finest 
quality  is  their  sense  of  equity  and  brotherhood,  munched 
away  amidst  a  circle  of  his  more  intimate  associates,  to  which 
my  Khartoom  attendants  were  admitted,  at  some  cold  fowl 
seasoned  with  pimento,  which  was  the  choicest  morsel  that  the 
country  could  supply.  With  the  flowery  yams,  the  sweet- 
potatoes,  and  the  colocasise,  which  appeared  such  an  invaluable 
boon  to  the  country,  the  Nubians  could  do  nothing,  so  unaccus- 
tomed were  they  in  their  native  place  to  vegetables  of  any 
sort :  what  they  missed  most  was  plenty  of  their  flat  cake  of 
kissere ;  quite  voluntarily  they  renounced  all  meat.  They 
carried  with  them  a  supply  of  the  capsules  of  the  Hibiscus 
esculentus,  dried  before  they  were  ripe,  and  by  the  aid  of  the 
indispensable  red  pepper  and  some  fat  or  oily  substance,  they 
manufactured  a  slimy  sauce  in  which  they  soused  their  kissere. 
They  were  epicures  enough  to  carry  with  them  in  a  horn 
their  own  "  duggoo,"  \vhich  is  a  kind  of  pot-pourri  composed 
of  every  condiment  they  can  procure,  being  a  combination  of 
salt,  pimento,  foenum  graecum,  basilicum,  coriander,  mustard, 
dill,  and  a  variety  of  other  ingredients  of  the  kind. 

But  now  for  a  time  the  days  of  kissere  and  sorghum-pap 
were  over.  Now  for  awhile  they  had  to  put  up  with  eleusine, 
that  tiny,  scaly,  black  and  bitter  grain  of  which  Spe!(e 
declares  that  it  is  sown,  because  the  spades,  which  do  such  an 
amount  of  mischief  to  other  seeds,  leave  this  uninjured — the 
same  Eleusine  coracana  (called  teleboon  in  Arabic  and  raggi 
in  the  West  Indies)  which  on  account  of  its  extreme  bitter- 
ness was  condemned  by  Baker  as  being  putrid  and  unfit  to 
eat.  Leaving  it  for  the  people  wlio  seemed  to  enjoy  it  well 
enough,  he  made  the  remark  that  the  lion  dies  of  hunger 
where  the  ass  grows  fat." 

There  was  a  general  belief  in  magic.  One  day,  my 
servant,  Mohammed  Ameen,  would  get  it  into  his  head  that  I 
had  found  a  plant  from  which  I  could  extract  gold  ;  on  the 


FATALISM. 


493 


next  day  it  wjuld  be  some  wonderful  skull  that  I  had  found, 
and  from  which  I  knew  how  to  extract  the  subtlest  poison  ; 
the  day  after  and  I  had  the  luck  to  kill  an  antelope  because 
I  was  in  possession  of  some  marvellous  root.  With  plain 
matter-of-fact  these  good  people  cannot  get  on  at  all :  that 
every  herb  must  have  some  medicinal  properties  and  use 
would  appear  never  to  have  entered  the  minds  of  any  but 
Europeans.  "  Knowest  thou  the  herb  that  gives  perpetual 
youth?"  is  the  question  that  the  Oriental  asks;  and  mys- 
terious secrets  are  yet  to  be  unfolded  to  the  African. 

No  one  clings  more  than  a.  Niam-niam  to  the  superstition 
that  the  possession  of  certain  charmed  roots  contributes  to 
the  success  of  the  chase,  so  that  the  best  shots,  when  they 
have  killed  an  unusual  number  either  of  antelopes  or  buffa- 
loes are  usually  credited  with  having  such  roots  in  their 
keeping.  The  fatalism,  which  is  exhibited  just  as  decidedly 
by  Mohammedans  as  by  heathens,  is  such  that  it  does  not 
attach  the  least  importance  to  the  skill  with  which  an  arrow 
or  bullet  is  aimed.  This  is  a  reason  why  the  Khartoomers 
are  never  practised  in  the  art  of  shooting;  they  do  not  doubt 
but  that  whatever  is  designed  for  the  unbeliever  is  sure  to 
hit  its  mark. 

The  direction  which  the  river  Lindukoo  was  taking 
appeared  to  me  to  be  exactly  the  reverse  of  that  in  which 
flowed  the  current  of  the  Yubbo ;  and,  in  spite  of  the  posi- 
tiveness  on  the  part  of  the  guides,  all  their  statements  left  my 
mind  unconvinced,  and  in  a  state  of  considerable  perplexity. 
But  two  months  later  when  I  had  again  to  cross  the  river  some 
distance  further  to  the  East,  my  presentiment  was  thoroughly 
confirmed.  The  formation  of  the  land  just  here  is  very 
uneven  and  irregular;  quite  in  contrast  to  what  it  was 
observed  to  be  both  previously  and  subsequently  upon  our 
progress.  With  the  Lindukoo,  then,  I  was  bidding  farewell 
to  the  district  of  the  Nile.  Many  as  there  had  been  before 
who  had  undertaken  to  explore  the  mighty  river  to  its 


494 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


fountain-liead,  here  was  I,  the  first  European  cojaiog  from  the 
north  who  yet  had  ever  traversed 

The  Watershed  of  the  Nile. 

Upon  this  memorable  day  in  my  life,  I  confess  I  had  no 
real  knowledge  of  the  significance  of  the  soil  upon  which  my 
steps  were  tarrying,  for  as  yet  I  could  know  nothing  of  the 
configuration  of  the  country  before  us.  The  revelation  of  the 
truth  about  this  watershed  only  became  apparent  to  me  after 
I  had  gathered  and  weighed  the  testimony  of  the  Niam-niam, 
which  sufficiently  demonstrated  that  the  next  river,  the 
Mbrwole,  belongs  to  the  system  of  the  Welle.  This  river 
now  was  an  enigma  to  me,  and  to  unravel  the  hydrographical 
perplexities  which  surrounded  it,  continued  throughout  my 
journey  to  puzzle  my  brain  ;  certainly  I  was  satisfied  it  could 
never  be  brought  into  unison  with  any  of  the  tributaries  of 
the  Sway.    A  little  patience,  and  the  problem  was  solved. 

With  the  exception  of  the  high  ridge  on  the  north  of  the 
Kiver  Lehssy  which  the  Niam-niam  call  Mbala.  Ngeea,  there 
was  nowhere,  along  the  entire  line  from  the  Gazelle  to  the 
Welle,  any  wide  difference  observable  in  the  conformation  of 
the  land.  But  southwards  from  the  Lindukoo,  it  was  all 
uphill  and  downhill,  and  through  defiles,  hill-caps  rising  and 
falling  on  either  side,  high  enough  to  be  prominent  over  the 
undulations  that  were  around  them.  These  undulations  were 
everywhere  of  that  red  hue  which  rendered  it  all  but  certain 
that  they  were  only  elevations  of  that  crust  of  recent  swamp- 
ore  which  is  so  widely  diffused  in  Central  Africa.  The 
higher  eminences  that  rose  above  were  of  a  far  earlier 
formation,  being  projections  of  gneiss,  the  weather-worn 
remnants  of  some  primeval  mountain  ranges,  gnawed  by  the 
tooth  of  time,  and  crumbled  down  from  jagged  peaks  to 
smooth  and  rounded  caps.  Subsequently,  on  my  return  at 
the  end  of  April,  I  pushed  my  way  beyond  these  elevations 


MUTABILITY  OF  RIVER  CHANNELS. 


495 


of  the  gneiss,  and  penetrated  farther  east,  into  the  narrower 
limits  of  the  watershed. 

This  uniformity  in  geological  formation  of  a  district  so 
immense,  as  far  as  it  ia  known,  is  certainly  very  remarkable. 
The  source  of  the  Dyoor  is  the  only  exception,  and  presents 
some  variety  in  stratification.  Everything  points  to  the 
fact  that  since  the  era  of  the  formation  of  the  swamp-ore 
(spreading  as  it  does  from  the  banks  of  the  Dyoor  to  the 
Coanza,  and  from  Mozambique  to  the  Niger)  there  has  been 
no.  alteration  in  the  surface  condition  of  the  land  except 
what  has  occurred  by  reason  of  the  water-courses  finding 
new  directions  for  themselves  along  the  loose  and  yielding 
deposit.  And  even  when  the  elevations  are  taken  into 
account  which  have  caused  whole  chains  of  hills  to  arise, 
such  for  instance  as  those  which  encircle  the  basin  of  the 
Tondy,  still  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  there  too  the 
existence  of  the  valleys  and  depressions  is  to  be  explained 
by  no  other  hypothesis  than  the  perpetual  mutability  of  the 
channels  by  which  the  streams  have  forced  their  way. 

Followed  in  our  course  from  the  Lindukoo  by  a  side 
stream  which  discharged  itself  by  a  waterfall,  we  arrived 
at  the  regular  watershed,  which,  judging  by  my  aneroid, 
which  had  not  varied  for  four  years,  I  should  estimate  at 
3000  feet  high.  Passing  onwards  we  came  to  a  brook  called 
the  Naporruporroo  which  rippled  through  a  gorge  some 
seventy  feet  deep.  The  stem  of  a  great  tree  had  been 
thrown  across  the  chasm,  and  by  means  of  this  we  were 
enabled  to  pass  over  without  being  under  the  necessity  of 
making  a  descent.  As  we  proceeded,  the  peaks  of  the  trees 
which  grew  beneath  were  some  way  below  the  level  of  our 
feet.  After  a  while,  we  had  first  to  cross  another,  and  then 
another  of  these  streams  which  at  no  great  distance  united 
themselves  in  one  common  channel. 

The  stream  I  have  just  mentioned  was  at  the  bottom  of  a 
valley  some  eighty  feet  deep,  and  as  its  banks  were  almost 


496 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


perpendicular  the  bearers  had  to  make  the  most  strenuous 
exertions  to  ascend.  They  had  to  help  each  other  up,  and 
the  baggage  therefore  had  to  be  passed  on  from  one  to 
another  of  the  men,  and  then  to  be  laid  down  awhile  that 
they  might  have  their  hands  at  liberty  to  help  them  as  they 
climbed.  To  accomplish  this  difficult  passage  at  all  with 
four-footed  beasts  of  burden  it  would  have  been  requisite 
to  make  a  very  long  and  arduous  detour.  The  detention, 
however,  to  which  the  difSculty  subjected  the  caravan  was 
not  in  any  way  a  loss  to  me ;  it  gave  me  time  to  stay  and 
gather  up  what  I  would  of  the  botanical  treasures  of  the 
place,  which  in  luxuriance  seemed  to  me  to  surpass  all  that 
as  yet  I  had  seen.  The  valley  was  so  deep  that  no  ray  of 
sunshine  by  any  possibility  could  enter  it.  The  pathway 
was  barely  a  foot  wide  and  wound  itself  through  a  mass  of 
waving  foliage.  There  was  a  kind  of  Brillantaisia  with 
large  violet  blossoms  that  I  found  close  by  the  way ;  and  I 
stayed  to  arrange  in  my  portfolio,  for  future  investigation, 
some  of  its  leaves,  waiting  while  our  lengthy  procession 
passed  along.  Squeezed  up  in  a  labyrinth  of  boughs  and 
creepers,  and  wreathed  about  with  leaves,  I  sat  as  though  I 
were  in  a  nest.  These  opportunities  were  several  times 
repeated,  in  which  I  found  I  could  get  half  an  hour  at  my 
disposal,  and  could  botanize  without  disturbance;  then  as 
soon  as  the  caravan  had  defiled  past  I  took  advantage  of  the 
first  open  ground  to  regain  my  position  near  the  front. 

So  numerous  were  the  hindrances  and  so  great  the 
obstacles  which  arose  from  the  ground  conformation  of  the 
watershed  that  our  progress  was  necessarily  slow. 

About  four  miles  from  Lindukoo  we  reached  the  Mbrwole, 
which  the  Nubians  without  further  description  simply  call 
"Wando's  Kiver."  It  was  here  bordered  by  wood,  and 
had  a  breadth  of  about  eighty  feet,  though  its  depth  did  not 
exceed  two  feet,  the  flow  of  the  stream  being  what  might  hf- 
described  as  torpid. 


ANONACE^. 


497 


Aboo  Sammat's  people  gave  us  all  the  particulars  of  the 
year's  luck  in  hunting,  and  dwelt  much  upon  the  circum- 
stance of  a  chimpanzee  having  been  killed,  an  event  which 
was  evidently  very  unusual.  The  woods  that  composed  the 
"  galleries  "  were  dense  and  manifestly  adapted  to  be  a  resort 
of  these  creatures.  The  fact  was  of  considerable  interest 
as  relating  to  the  watershed,  because  in  none  of  the  more 
northerly  woods  had  I  ever  been  able  to  acquire  any  evidence 
at  all  that  the  chimpanzee  had  been  known  to  exist.  It 
was  remarkable  that  the  first  trace  I  found  of  this  race  of 
animals  was  upon  my  reaching  the  first  river  that  was  un- 
attached to  the  system  of  the  Nile.  It  may  be  said  of  the 
district  of  Wando,  where  bank  vegetation  is  most  luxuriant 
and  where  the  drainage  is  like  a  complication  of  veins 
squeezed  from  an  overcharged  spoHge,  that  it  is  the  region 
which,  more  than  any  other,  is  conspicuous  for  the  abundance 
of  the  chimpanzee,  which  here  represents  the  breed  of  the 
West  African  Troglodytes  niger. 

Countless  in  diversity  as  were  the  trees  and  shrubs,  the 
Anonacese^  by  mere  reason  of  their  numbers,  must  take  a 
very  prominent  place  in  the  catalogue.  A  family  of  plants 
is  this  of  which,  so  long  as  the  flora  of  tropical  Africa  was 
unexplored,  it  was  presumed  that  America  was  the  chief,  if 
not  the  exclusive  habitat.  But  since  our  knowledge  has 
been  enlarged,  and  especially  since  my  own  investigations  in 
the  Niam-niam  lands,  it  has  become  clear  almost  beyond  a 
question  that  Africa  is  at  least  as  prodigal  in  the  Anonaceae 
that  it  yields  as  all  the  tropical  districts  of  America. 

Again  for  two  hours  we  made  a  pause.  The  Nubians 
enjoyed  a  bright  cool  bath,  the  long  column  of  bearers  still 
toiling  onwards  with  their  loads.  The  opportunity  to  myself 
was  as  acceptable  as  ever,  and  I  continued  to  secure  a  new 
abundance  of  botanical  treasure.  By  way  of  variety,  in- 
telligence was  brought  us  that  a  gun  had  gone  off  through 
negligence,  and  tliat  the  ball  had  rent  a  hole  in  the  apron 


498 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


of  one  of  the  soldiers.  Of  course  there  was  a  great  outcry 
and  no  end  of  gesticulating.  The  culprit  took  with  the  most 
passive  resignation  the  lashing  that  was  assigned  him,  and 
then  all  was  forgotten,  and  something  fresh  had  to  be  awaited 
fco  stir  up  a  new  excitement.  The  people  are  fatalists  of  the 
purest  water,  and  no  amount  of  experience  can  make  them 
prudent. 

Farther  on,  a  march  through  a  flat  and  open  steppe  led  us 
after  a  few  miles  to  a  deep  glen  so  thick  with  wood  that  it 
occupied  us  at  least  half  an  hour  in  crossing.  Its  bottom 
was  a  wide  marshy  streak  over  which  there  was  no  move- 
ment of  the  water,  that  seemed  to  be  entirely  stagnant.  A 
new  type  of  vegetation  revealed  itself,  one  never  observed  in 
the  Nile  lands  by  any  previous  traveller.  This  consisted  of 
the  thickets  of  Pandanus,  which  were  to  my  mind  an  evidence  » 
of  our  having  entered  upon  a  new  river-district  altogether, 
the  plant  being  an  undoubted  representative  of  the  flora  of 
the  western  coast. 

And  now  we  had  to  make  our  first  experience  of  the 
various  artifices  by  which  the  transit  over  these  marshes  has 
to  be  accomplished ;  not  only  would  it  be  impossible  for  a 
carriage  of  any  description  or  for  any  one  on  horseback  to  go 
over,  but  even  when  the  baggage  was  conveyed  by  hand 
there  was  the  serious  risk  of  anyone  seeing  all  that  he  most 
cared  for,  his  clothes  and  his  journals,  tumbling  from  the 
bearers'  heads  and  sinking  in  the  filthy  slime.  Mouldering 
trunks  of  trees  there  might  be,  but  to  place  the  foot  upon 
these  was  to  find  them  roll  like  a  wave  in  the  waters ;  others 
would  be  too  smooth  and  slippery  to  allow  a  step  to  be 
trusted  to  their  treacherous  support;  and  then  the  deep 
continual  holes  would  either  be  filled  by  water  or  covered 
with  a  floating  vegetation  which  betrayed  the  unwary  foot- 
steps into  trouble,  so  that  there  was  no  alternative  for  the 
bearers  but  to  jump  from  mound  to  mound  and  keep  their 
balance  as  best  they  might :  to  no  purpose  would  they  try 


CEOSSING  THE  MARSHES. 


499 


to  grasp  at  some  support;  the  prickly  leaves  of  the  Pan- 
danus,  notched  and  jagged  on  the  edges  as  a  saw,  made  them 
glad  to  withdraw  their  tortured  hand. 

For  miles  far  away  the  deserts  re-echoed  back  the  shouts 
of  the  bearers  as  tliey  splashed  through  the  waters  ;  and  the 
air  around  reverberated  with  the  outcry,  with  the  mingled 
laughing  and  swearing  of  the  Nubians,  and  with  the  fluster 
of  the  women  slaves  as  they  jostled  each  other  in  carrying 
their  dishes,  gourd- flasks,  and  calabashes,  through  the  prickly 
hedges.  Every  now  and  then  would  arise  a  general  shriek, 
half  in  merriment,  half  in  fright,  from  a  hundred  lungs, 
betokening  that  some  unlucky  slave  had  plumped  down  into 
a  muddy  hole,  and  that  all  her  cooking  utensils  had  come 
tumbling  after.  I  could  not  help  being  on  continual  tenter- 
hooks as  to  the  fate  which  would  befal  my  own  baggage, 
particularly  my  herbarium,  which  although  it  was  packed 
up  most  cautiously  in  india-rubber,  yet  required  to  be 
handled  very  gently.  My  Bongo  bearers,  however,  were 
picked  men,  and  did  their  work  well.  They  waded  on  and 
never  once  had  any  misadventure,  so  that  it  resulted  that 
everything,  without  exception,  that  I  had  gathered  in  these 
remote  districts  of  Central  Africa,  was  spared  alike  from  loss 
or  damage. 

Dressing  and  undressing  on  these  occasions  was  tiresome 
enough,  but  it  was  not  the  whole  of  the  inconvenience. 
When  the  task  of  getting  across  had  been  accomplished, 
there  still  remained  the  business  of  purification;  and  no 
easy  matter  was  it  to  get  free  from  the  black  mud  and  slime 
that  adhered  tenaciously  to  the  skin.  It  almost  seemed  as 
if  Africa  herself  had  been  roused  to  spitefulness,  and  was 
exhibiting  her  wrath  against  the  intruder  who  presumed  to 
meddle  with  her  secrets.  With  a  malicious  glee  she  ap- 
peared to  be  exulting  that  she  was  able  to  render  the  white 
man,  at  least  for  the  time,  as  black  as  any  of  her  own 
children ;  nor  was  she  content  till  she  had  sent  a  plague  of 


500 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


mud-leeches  to  add  to  his  discomfort.  Naked  and  shivering: 
she  let  him  stand  even  in  the  mist  and  rain  of  a  chilly  dawn ; 
and  no  help  for  him  till  some  friendly  hand  should  guide 
him  to  a  pool  where  the  water  still  was  undefiled,  and  he 
could  get  a  wash.  And  then  what  a  scraping !  How  ruefully 
too  would  his  eye  fall  upon  the  ugly  blood-suckers  which 
clung  about  his  legs!  To  make  these  relax  their  hold, 
recourse  must  be  had  to  the  powder-flask  ;  and,  after  all,  the 
clothes  would  be  saturated  with  the  blood  that  had  been 
shed  in  vain.  As  for  the  things  that  had  been  splashed  and 
wetted  in  the  'turmoil  of  the  passage,  they  were  laid  out 
either  upon  a  cluster  of  trampled  fern-leaves  or  upon  any 
little  spot  that  seemed  to  give  them  a  chance  of  drying. 

The  sun  was  already  declining,  and  we  had  still  three  of 
these  bogs  to  pass  over,  each  with  its  running  stream  that 
would  delay  us  for  half  an  hour  or  more.  Of  these  three, 
the  second  was  the  largest,  and  was  known  by  the  name  of 
Mbangoh.  Notwithstanding  the  vexation  and  harassment, 
to  which  I  was  unaccustomed,  I  found  many  an  opportunity 
of  gathering  shrubs  and  plants  of  interest  from  the  promis- 
cuous vegetation  amidst  which  we  made  our  way. 

The  shades  of  night  had  gathered,  when,  after  passing  the 
last  of  the  rivulets,  we  arrived  at  some  farms  in  a  cultivated 
spot.  There  was  indication  of  rain,  and  a  great  deal  of 
commotion  ensued  in  taking  precaution  against  it ;  luckily, 
however,  we  escaped  with  only  a  few  heavy  drops,  and 
having  been  relieved  from  anxiety  by  a  general  clearing  of 
the  weather,  we  enjoyed  the  good  night's  rest  which  our 
hard  day's  toil  had  earned. 

In  order  that  we  might  arrive  at  Wando's  residence  in 
good  time  on  the  following  day,  we  made  our  start  punctually 
at  sunrise.  After  we  had  marched  for  half  a  league  .over 
open  steppe,  and  had  effected  our  passage  over  the  Dyagbe, 
the  signal  was  sounded  for  the  morning  halt. 

Mohammed  here  expressed  his  intention  of  having  a 


ABOO  SAMMAT'S  INTEEVIEW  WITH  WANDO.  501 

preliminary  conference  with  Wando  before  we  definitively 
pitched  our  camp,  and  borrowing  my  revolver,  as  he  had 
done  before,  he  set  out  with  the  utmost  composure,  attended 
solely  by  his  black  body-guard,  the  Farookh.  At  the  head 
of  these  he  hurried  away  at  a  pace  so  fast  that  the  lads  who 
carried  his  arms  could  scarcely  keep  up  with  him.  It  is 
characteristic  of  the  Nubians  that  whenever  they  have  im- 
portant transactions  on  hand  they  always  move  with  extreme 
rapidity.. 

Within  an  hour  Mohammed  returned,  perfectly  content 
with  his  interview,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  conduct  the 
caravan  to  the  station  allotted  to  it,  close  to  the  banks  of 
the  Dyagbe,  and  just  about  the  distance  of  an  arrowshot 
from  the  wall  of  foliage  which  formed  the  confine  of  the 
primeval  forest.  Taking  their  hatchets,  the  bearers  entered 
the  thickets  and  hewed  down  long  stakes,  with  which  they 
set  to  work  to  construct  some  huts,  my  own  people  mean- 
while busying  themselves  by  providing  some  posts  and  props 
which  I  required  equally  for  the  protection  of  my  baggage 
from  the  dampness  of  the  ground  and  for  placing  it  out  of 
the  reach  of  white  ants.  I  had  brought  some  deal  boards 
with  me  from  Khartoom,  and  by  putting  these  upon  the 
props  a  convenient  arrangement  was  made  for  storing  in 
the  narrowest  compass  a  good  deal  of  baggage.  Space  in  my 
tent  was  necessarily  very  limited. 

Every  hand  was  set  to  work,  and  in  a  very  short  time  a 
number  of  pretty  little  huts  were  erected  with  no  other 
material  than  the  fresh  grass;  and  when  the  baggage  had 
all  been  properly  secured  there  commenced  a  brisk  and  very 
amicable  commerce  with  the  natives.  Fine  elephant-tusks 
were  brought  for  sale,  and  found  no  lack  of  ready  purchasers. 
Presents  of  cloth  and  beads  were  freely  distributed,  for  the 
double  purpose  of  putting  the  people  into  a  good  mood  and  of 
inducing  thom  to  disclose  new  resources  for  procuring  ivory. 
Wando  himself  appeared  arrayed  in  a  large  shirt  of  figured 


502  THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 

calico,  made  with  long  sleeves,  which  he  wore  (in  the  same 
way  as  all  the  other  native  chieftains)  solely  out  of  compli- 
ment to  the  donor.  As  soon  as  the  visitors  withdrew  he 
deemed  it  an  attire  below  his  dignity,  and  could  not  con- 
descend to  trick  himself  out  in  a  dress  which  ordinarily  was 
reserved  as  a  kind  of  curiosity  for  his  wardrobe. 

The  cannibal  prince,  of  whom  for  some  days  we  had  been 
in  such  dread,  looked  a  harmless  mortal  •  enough  as  he 
strolled  through  the  camp  arm-in-arm  with  Mohammed's 
officers  ;  no  doubt  they  had  enjoyed  a  mutual  drink  to  each 
other's  health. 

The  kind  of  beads  which  the  Niam-niam  prefer  wearing, 
when  they  can  procure  them,  is  that  which  is  known  in 
Khartoom  commerce  as  "mandyoor,"  consisting  of  a  long 
polyhedral  prism,  about  as  large  as  a  bean  and  blue  as  lapis 
lazuli.  Hardly  any  other  kind  retains  any  value  at  all. 
Cowries  are  still  used  as  a  decoration  on  the  national  costume, 
but  the  demand  for  them  is  not  great,  and  for  ten  years 
past  they  have  not  formed  at  all  an  important  item  in  the 
Khartoom  traffic.  Fashion  extends  its  sway  even  as  far  as 
these  remote  wildernesses,  which  have  their  own  special 
demand  for  "novelties." 

As  medium  of  exchange^  nothing  here  was  of  any  value 
except  copper  and  iron,  which  never  failed  to  be  accepted  in 
payment.  English  copper,  which  the  Khartoomers  take  with 
them  in  long  bars  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  thick,  is  most 
in  repute ;  but  not  unfrequently  they  make  use  of  the  lumps 
of  copper  which  they  obtain  from  the  mines  to  the  south  of 
Darfoor.  With  any  other  resources  for  obtaining  copper  the 
inhabitants  of  the  country  through  which  I  travelled  appear 
to  be  hardly  acquainted,  though  possibly  the  Congo  region 
might,  in  former  times,  have  found  an  outlet  for  its  store  m 
this  direction.  To  provide  suitable  small  change  for  their 
minor  pui*chases,  the  expeditions  to  the  Niam-niam  always 
jnclude  among  their  bearers  a  certain  number  of  smiths,  who 


COST  OF  IVORY. 


503 


from  the  larger  bars  and  ingots  fabricate  rings  of  all  sizes, 
from  the  circlet  to  go  round  the  arm  down  to  the  ring  just 
large  enough  to  fit  the  finger.  These  rings  are  made  from 
quadrangular  bars,  the  ends  of  which  are  subsequently 
reduced  to  taper  points.  It  may  be  added,  by  way  of 
example,  that  for  a  finger  ring  a  Niam-niam  would  give  a^ 
chicken,  although  the  copper  material  itself  was  not  worth 
three  farthings. 

Here,  at  its  fountain-head,  ivory,  as  might  naturally  be 
expected,  may  be  obtained  in  barter  at  a  very  trifling  cost. 
On  the  coast  of  Guinea  it  is  necessary  to  part  with  a  whole 
host  of  commodities,  guns,  cloth,  knives,  looking-glasses,  and 
what  not,  for  a  single  tusk  of  an  elephant ;  but  a  Niam-niam 
is  contented  if  he  can  get  half  a  bar  of  copper,  which  would 
not  be  worth  more  than  four  or  five  dollars.  Not  only,  how- 
ever, would  there  be  some  additional  presents  of  cloth  or 
beads,  but  the  weight  and  transport  would  have  to  be  taken 
into  account.  The  prime  cost  here  would  probably  be  scarcely 
five  per  cent,  of  the  value  of  the  ivory,  which  fluctuating, 
of  course,  according  to  quality,  generally,  on  an  average,  in 
Europe  realises  two  or  three  dollars  a  pound ;  whilst  on  the 
other  hand,  the  same  purchase  could  not  be  made  at  the  har- 
bours upon  the  western  coasts  for  much  less  than  80  per  cent, 
of  the  gross  value.  Through  the  immense  outlay  which  is 
entailed  upon  the  Khartoom  merchants  by  the  support  of  so 
many  soldiers,  and,  in  fact,  from  the  precarious  results  of  the 
expeditions,  the  ultimate  profit  is  really  so  moderate  and  it 
is  gained  at  so  much  risk,  that  the  ivory  trade  on  the  whole 
is  not  flourishing.  But  how  matters  could  practically  be 
mended,  or  how  the  expenses  of  proceeding  in  the  lands  of 
the  Upper  Nile  could  be  diminished,  I  confess  I  have  no 
scheme  to  propose.  The  lands  are  not  only  so  remote  from 
the  coast,  but  they  are  so  far  away  even  from  the  navigable 
rivers,  that  they  can  never  play  an  important  part  in  the 
trafiSc  of  the  world;  nor  can  the  railway  which  it  is  in 


504 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


contemplation  to  construct  between  Kliartoom  and  Egypt 
introduce  any  material  change  into  the  existing  condition  of 
things. 

So  full  of  bustle  was  our  camp  life  that  it  was  not  till 
nightfall  that  I  had  an  opportunity  of  inquiring  from  Mo- 
^hammed  what  had  transpired  during  his  interview  witli 
Wando.  I  now  learnt  that  the  revolver  he  had  borrowed 
had  done  him  a  good  turn.  He  had  hurried  on  in  front  of 
his  escort,  and  had  gone  boldly  to  the  chieftain  to  repri- 
mand him  for  his  equivocal'  behaviour ;  but  he  had  no  sooner 
entered  the  hut  than  he  was  encircled  by  a  troop  of  Wando's 
satellites,  who  levelled  their  lances  at  him  in  a  most 
threatening  attitude.  He  felt  himself  a  prisoner,  but,  undis- 
mayed, he  cried  out  that  his  life  should  cost  them  a  thousand 
lives,  and,  snapping  the  revolver,  he  dared  them  to  touch 
hiui  at  their  peril.  The  intimidated  Niam-niam  at  once 
assumed  a  milder  tone,  and,  thanks,  as  Mohammed  said,  to 
his  temerity,  everything  turned  out  well. 

We  remained  in  Wando's  camp  from  the  2nd  to  the  6th 
of  March.  The  wood  at  Dyagbe  was  most  luxuriant,  and 
every  day  it  unlocked  to  me  new  and  untold  treasures,  which 
were  a  permanent  delight.  Here,  too,  was  unfolded  before 
my  gaze  the  full  glory  of  what  we  shall  in  future  understand 
as  "  a  gallery.'' 

My  predecessor,  the  Italian  Piaggia,  whose  meagre  descrip- 
tion of  the  Niam-niam  lands  betrays,  in  spite  of  all,  an  acute 
power  of  observation,  has  designated  these  tracts  of  bank 
vegetation  as  galleries."  The  expression  seems  to  me  so 
appropriate  and  significant  that  I  cannot  help  wishing  it 
might  be  generally  adopted.  I  will  endeavour  briefly  to . 
state  in  what  the  peculiarities  of  these  "  galleries  "  consist. 

In  a  way  that  answers  precisely  to  the  description  which 
Dr.  Livingstone  in  his  last  accounts  has  given  of  the  country  to 
the  west  of  Lake  Tanganyika,  and  which  is  not  adequately 
accounted  for  either  by  the  geological  aspect  of  the  region 


DUALISM  OF  VEGETATION. 


505 


or  by  any  presumed  excess  of  rain,  there  is  sometimes  found 
a  numerical  aggregate  of  springs  which  is  beyond  precedent. 
These  springs  result  in  a  perpetual  waterflow,  which  in  the 
north  would  all  be  swallowed  up  by  the  thirsty  soil  of  low 
and  open  plains,  but  which  here  in  the  Niam-niam  country 
is  all  restrained  within  deep-cut  channels  that  form,  as  it 
were,  walls  to  confine  the  rippling  stream.  The  whole 
country,  which  is  nowhere  less  than  2000  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea,  is  like  an  over-full  sponge.  The  conse- 
quence of  this  is,  that  many  plants  which  in  the  north  dis- 
appear as  soon  as  the  fall  of  the  waters  deprives  them  of 
their  moisture,  are  here  found  flourishing  all  the  year  round ; 
so  that  all  the  vales  and  chinks  through  which  the  water 
makes  its  way  are  permanently  adorned  with  a  tropical  luxu- 
riance. The  variety  of  trees  and  the  manifold  developments 
of  the  undergrowth  conspire  to  present  a  spectacle  charming 
as  any  that  could  be  seen  upon  the  coast  of  Guinea  or  in  the 
countries  which  are  watered  by  the  lower  Niger.  But,  not- 
withstanding all  this,  the  vegetation  altogether  retains  its 
own  specific  character  up  in  the  higher  tracts  between  stream 
and  stream,  and  corresponds  to  what  we  have  been  familiar 
with  ever  since  we  put  our  foot  upon  the  red  soil  of  Bongo- 
land,  being  a  park-like  wood,  of  which  the  most  conspicuous 
feature  is  the  magnitude  of  the  leaves. 

I  have  previously  had  occasion  to  mention  how  a  dualism 
of  the  same  kind  marked  the  vegetation  of  the  whole  country 
south  of  the  Hoo,  where  the  formation  of  the  land  first  changed 
from  the  monotonous  alternations  between  low  grass  flats  and 
undulated  wood-terraces.  It  would  almost  seem  as  if  the 
reason  for  the  altered  law  which  presides  over  the  watercourses 
is  to  be  sought  in  the  increasing  elevation  of  the  soil,  and 
in  the  opening  of  the  lower  plain  of  the  swamp-ore,  which, 
being  furrowed  up  with  a  multitude  of  channels,  allows  the 
unfailing  supply  of  all  the  numerous  springs  to  flow  away. 

Trees  with  immense  stems,  and  of  a  height  surpassing  all 

Vol.  L— 35 


506 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


that  we  had  elsewhere  seen  (not  even  excepting  the  palms  of 
Egypt),  here  stood  in  masses  which  seemed  unbounded  except 
where  at  intervals  some  less  towering  forms  rose  gradually 
higher  and  higher  beneath  their  shade.  In  the  innermost 
recesses  of  these  woods  one  would  come  upon  an  avenue  like 
the  colonnade  of  an  Egyptian  temple,  veiled  in  the  leafy 
shade  of  a  triple  roof  above.  Seen  from  without,  they  had 
all  the  appearance  of  impenetrable  forests,  but,  traversed 
within,  they  opened  into  aisles  and  corridors  which  were 
musical  with  many  a  murmuring  fount. 

Hardly  anywhere  was  the  height  of  these  woods  less  than 
70  feet,  and  on  an  average  it  was  much  nearer  100 ;  yet, 
viewed  from  without,  they  very  often  failed  to  present  any- 
thing of  that  imposing  sight  which  was  always  so  captivating 
when  taken  from  the  brinks  of  the  brooks  within.  In  some 
places  the  sinking  of  the  ground  along  which  the  gallery- 
tunnels  ran  would  be  so  great  that  not  half  the  wood  revealed 
itself  at  all  to  the  contiguous  steppes,  while  in  that  wood  (out 
of  sight  as  it  was)  many  a    gallery  "  might  still  exist. 

Most  of  those  gigantic  trees,  the  size  of  the  stems  of  which 
exceed  any  of  our  own  venerable  monarchs  of  the  woods, 
belong  to  the  class  either  of  the  StercuUse  or  the  BoswelUse,  to 
which  perhaps  may  be  added  that  of  the  Csesaljoinias ;  the 
numerous  Fig-trees,  the  Artocarj)ese,  the  Euphorhiacese,  and 
the  endless  varieties  of  the  Buhiaee^,  must  be  entirely 
excluded  from  that  category,  and  few  representatives  of 
this  grade  belong  to  the  region  of  the  underwood.  Amongst 
the  plants  of  second  and  third  rank  there  were  many  of 
the  large-leaved  varieties,  and  the  figs  again,  as  well  as 
the  Fajpilionacese  and  especially  the  Buhiacese  had  an. 
important  place  to  fill.  There  was  no  lack  of  thorny 
shrubberies ;  and  the  Oncoha,  the  Fhyllanthus,  the  Ge- 
lastrus,  and  the  Acacia  ataxacantha,  cluster  after  cluster, 
were  met  with  in  abundance.  Thick  creepers  climbed 
from  bough  to  bough,  the  Modecca  being  the  most  pro- 


FERNS. 


507 


minent  of  all ;  but  tlie  Cissus  with  its  purple  leaf,  the 
Goccinea,  the  prickly  Smilax,  the  Helmiss,  and  the  Dioscoress 
all  had  their  part  to  play.  Made  up  of  these,  the  whole 
underwood  spread  out  its  ample  ramifications,  its  green  twi- 
light made  more  complete  by  the  thickness  of  the  substance 
of  the  leaves  themselves. 

Down  upon  the  very  ground,  again,  there  were  masses,  all 
but  impenetrable,  of  plants  of  many  and  many  a  variety 
which  contributed  to  fill  up  every  gap  that  was  left  in  this 
mazy  labyrinth  of  foliage.  First  of  all  there  were  the  ex- 
tensive jungles  of  the  Amoma  and  the  Costus  rising  full  fifteen 
feQt  high,  and  of  which  the  rigid  stems  (like  the  haulms  of 
the  towering  grass)  either  bar  out  the  progress  of  a  traveller 
altogether  or  admit  him,  if  he  venture  to  force  his  way 
among  them,  only  to  fall  into  the  sloughs  of  muddy  slime 
from  which  they  grow.  And  then  there  was  the  marvellous 
world  of  ferns  destitute  indeed  of  stems,  but  running  in  their 
foliage  to  some  twelve  feet  high.  Boundless  in  the  variety  of 
the  feathery  articulations  of  their  fronds,  some  of  them  seemed 
to  perform  the  graceful  part  of  throwing  a  veil  over  the 
treasures  of  the  wood  ;  and  others  lent  a  charming  contrast 
to  the  general  uniformity  of  .the  leafy  scene.  High  above 
these  there  worked  themselves  the  large  slim-stemmed 
Ruhiacese  {Coffem),  which  by  regularity  of  growth  and  sym- 
metry of  leaf  appeared  to  imitate,  and  in  a  measure  to  supply 
the  absence  of,  the  arboraceous  ferns.  Of  all  other  ferns  the 
most  singular  that  I  observed  was  that  which  I  call  the  ele- 
phant's ear.  This  I  found  up  in  trees  at  a  height  of  more 
than  50  feet,  in  association  with  the  Angrmca  and  the  loug 
grey  barb  of  the  hanging  TJsneds. 

Whenever  the  stems  of  the  trees  failed  to  be  thickly  over- 
grown by  some  of  these  different  ferns,  they  were  rarely 
wanting  in  garlands  of  the  crimson-berried  pepper  which 
twined  themselves  around.  Far  as  the  eye  could  reach  it 
rested  solely  upon  green  which  did  not  admit  a  gap.  The 


508 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


narrow  paths  that  wound  themselves  partly  through  and 
partly  around  the  growing  thickets  were  formed  by  steps 
consisting  of  bare  and  protruding  roots  which  retained  the 
light  loose  soil  together.  Mouldering  stems,  thickly  clad 
with  moss,  obstructed  the  passage  at  well-nigh  every  turn. 
The  air  was  no  longer  that  of  the  sunny  steppe,  nor  that  of 
the  shady  grove ;  it  was  stifling  as  the  atmosphere  of  a  palm- 
house  ;  its  temperature  might  vary  from  7 0°  to  80°  Fahr., 
but  it  was  so  overloaded  with  an  oppressive  moisture  exhaled 
by  the  rank  foliage  that  the  traveller  could  not  feel  other- 
wise than  relieved  to  escape. 

To  the  European  lover  of  his  garden  everything  at  first 
might  seem  to  be  as  artistic  in  its  grouping  as  it  was  abun- 
dant in  its  luxuriance ;  but  the  screaming  outcry  of  the  birds 
in  the  branches  above,  the  annoying  activity  of  the  insect 
world,  and  beyond  all,  the  amazing  swarms  of  minute  ants 
which  come  showering  down  from  every  twig  upon  anyone 
who  intrudes  upon  their  haunts,  detract  very  considerably 
from  the  enjoyment  of  this  prodigality  of  nature.  Yet  for 
those  who  could  persevere  there  was  much  to  compensate  in 
the. general  solemnity  of  the  scene,  for  the  sound  of  the  rust- 
ling of  the  foliage  above  could  scarcely  penetrate  the  weird 
shades  below.  Butterflies  gay  and  busy  in  countless  swarms, 
with  their  gleaming  yellow  wings,  gave  animation  to  the 
repose  of  the  eternal  green,  and  made  up  for  any  deficiency 
of  radiant  bloom.  • 

Our  encampment  was  but  comparatively  a  few  steps  away 
from  this  unbounded  storehouse  of  creative  wealth,  so  that 
with  the  greatest  convenience  I  could  prepare  within  my  tent 
for  all  my  explorations.  That  dual  character  of  the  vegeta- 
tion to  which  I  have  referred  offers  a  great  advantage  to  the 
botanist  in  this  teeming  district.  In  the  damp  atmosphere 
of  the  western  coasts  the  drying  of  plants  is  hardly  ever 
capable  of  being  accomplished  without  exposing  them'  for  a 
time  before  a  fire,  an  operation  which  has  generally  the  efiect 


WANDO. 


509 


of  inducing  a  blackness  over  the  specimens  which  necessarily 
very  materially  increases  the  difficulty  of  their  being  scien- 
tifically examined  when  they  reach  their  destination  in 
Europe ;  but  here,  except  upon  a  thoroughly  wet  day,  the 
plants  will  all  dry  just  as  readily  as  they  would  in  a  country 
where  water  is  the  reverse  of  abundant.  When  plants  have 
been  gathered  and  dried  in  the  hot  steamy  atmosphere 
of  Guinea,  and  corresponding  plants  have  been  gathered 
and  dried  as  they  are  found  in  Nubia,  the  comparison  of 
the  two  may  assist  in  establishing  what  relations  exist 
between  the  bank  wood  and  the  steppes  of  the  different 
countries. 

I  had  already  made  the  acquaintance  of  Wando's  sons,  but 
hardly  expected  the  honour  that  Wando  himself  paid  me  by 
visiting  me  in  my  tent.  A  troop  of  armed  men  composed  his 
retinue  and  arranged  themselves  in  a  circle  round  the  tent, 
whilst,  with  all  deference,  I  made  my  illustrious  guest  the 
offer  of  my  own  seat  which  I  had  brought  with  me  from  the 
Gazelle.  Wando  was  somewhat  below  a  medium  height,  but 
he  could  show  a  large  development  of  muscle,  and  no  insig- 
nificant amount  of  fat.  His  features  were  of  so  marked  and 
well-defined  a  character,  that  in  their  way  they  might  be 
pronounced  good,  the  head  itself  being  almost  perfectly 
round.  Nothing  took  me  more  by  surprise  at  Wando's  en- 
trance than  the  perfect  self-possession,  which  might  almost 
be  called  nonchalance,  with  which  he  took  the  proffered  seat. 
Savage  as  he  was,  his  composure  and  native  dignity  were 
those  of  which  no  European  when  receiving  homage  would 
need  to  be  ashamed.  Crossing  his  arms  upon  his  breast,  he 
reclined  one  leg  upon  the  other,  and  began  to  throw  the  centre 
of  gravity  of  his  bulky  frame  so  far  behind  the  perpendiculai' 
that  I  was  in  momentary  fear  lest  the  back  of  my  chair, 
which  creaked  audibly  at  every  movement  of  the  Niam-niam 
potentate,  should  be  faithless  to  its  trust.  It  seemed  to  sigh 
beneath  its  burden.    Wando  reminded  me  in  more  than  one 


510 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


respect  of  tlie  portly  king  of  Ovampo,  on  whom  Galton 
with  some  trouble  forced  the  crown  that  had  been  brought 
from  the  theatre.  With  the  merest  apology  of  a  piece 
of  skin  to  cover  him,  he  sat  in  all  but  absolute  nakedness, 
revealing  the  exuberance  of  fat  which  clothed  his  every 
limb. 

It  was  commonly  said  of  Wando  that  he  w^as  the  avowed 
enemy  of  all  cannibalism.  I  was  informed  in  various  quarters 
that  people  from  the  neighbouring  districts  had  come  to 
him  when  they  found  themselves  growing  too  fat,  and  had 
declared  that  they  did  not  consider  their  lives  were  safe  on 
account  of  the  men-eaters  by  whom  they  were  surrounded. 
But  the  sentiments  of  the  chieftain  did  not  appear  to  exercise 
much  influence  upon  the  majority  of  his  subjects,  as  we 
only  too  soon  became  aware  as  we  advanced  farther  to  the 
south. 

.  This  visit  of  Wando's  gave  me  an  opportunity  of  which  I 
did  not  omit  to  avail  myself  of  entering  my  indignant  protest 
against  the  want  of  hospitality  with  which  on  his  part  we 
had  been  received.  1  recounted  to  him  by  way  of  contrast 
the, many  acts  of  liberality  which  had  been  shown  us  by  the 
Nubians  in  general,  assuring  him  that  my  dogs  had  received 
more  care  from  them  than  I,  their  master,  had  received  from 
him,  king  though  he  was;  to  supply  my  dogs  with  meat, 
goats  had  been  killed,  and  for  myself  bullocks  had  never 
been  spared.  Wando  remonstrated,  saying  that  he  had 
neither  one  nor  the  other;  but  I  made ^ him  understand  that 
he  had  plenty  of  poultry,  certainly  enough,  and  more  than 
enough,  for  me  and  my  people.  Finally,  I  proceeded  to  let 
him  know  what  I  thought  of  his  hostile  demonstration  before 
our  arrival ;  and  while  I  spoke  I  dashed  my  fist  upon  the 
camp-table  which  stood  before  us,  till  the  plates  and  drinking 
vessels  clattered  and  jingled  again.  My  personal  attendants, 
however,  Mohammed  Ameen  and  Petherick's  old  servant,  the 
travelled  and  expei'iencerl  Kiharn,  knew  better,  after  all,  than 


A  TEMPTING  DISH. 


511 


I  did,  how  to  take  Wando  to  task.  Pointing  to  me,  they 
made  him  comprehend  that  he  was  threatened  with  a  most 
certain  and  speedy  judgment  if  he  suffered  a  Frank  to  come 
to  the  most  trifling  harm.  They  charged  him  not  to  forget 
that  it  was  a  Frank  he  was  dealing  with,  and  that  it  was 
quite  within  the  power  of  a  Frank  to  make  the  earth  to  yawn 
and  from  every  rent  to  give  out  flames  that  should  consume 
his  land.  And  as  they  spoke,  the  interpreters  explained  all, 
word  for  word,  to  his  excited  understanding.  Intimidated 
to  that  degree  of  which  none  but  a  negro  is  capable,  and 
only  eager  to  avert  a  miserable  fate,  he  hurried  back  to 
fulfil  his  promise  of  sending  provisions  without  stint  or 
delay. 

Almost  immediately  afterwards  a  number  of  his  people 
came  teeming  in,  bringing  not  only  some  lean  and  half- 
fed  poultry,  but  a  lot  of  great  black  earthen  pots  which 
they  laid  down  as  offerings  from  their  master  at  the 
opening  of  my  tent.  A  revolting  smell  of  burning  oil, 
black  soap,  and  putrid  fish  rose  and  stunk  in  the  nostrils  of 
all  who  were  curious  enough  to  investigate,  even  from  a  dis- 
tance, the  contents  of  the  reeking  jars ;  to  those  who  were 
so  venturesome  as  actually  to  peer  into  the  vessels,  there 
was  revealed  a  dark-coloured  stew  of  threads  and  fibres,  like 
loosened  tow  floating  between  leather  shavings  and  old  whip- 
thongs.  Truly  it  was  the  production  of  a  savage,  and  I  may 
say  of  an  indigenous,  cookery,  such  as  our  progenitors  in 
their  primeval  forests  might  have  prepared  for  tliemselves 
out  of  roast  rhinoceros  or  mammoth-foot.  There  seemed  a 
rebound  in  the  lapse  of  time.  As  matter  of  fact,  the  caldrons 
were  full  of  a  burnt  smoky  ragout  made  from  the  entrails  of 
an  elephant  some  two  hundred  years  old,  very  tough  and 
exceedingly  rank.  This  wonderful  example  of  nature's 
earliest  promptings  was  handed  first  to  me  by  the  Bongo 
bearers,  whom  I  at  once  begged  to  accept  for  themselves  the 
dainty  dish  of  the  savages ;  but  even  the  Nubians,  not  at  all 


512 


THE  HBAKT  OF  AFKICA. 


too  fastidious  generally  in  anything  which  their  religion 
permits  them  to  eat,  rejected  the  mess  with  the  greatest 
disdain. 

It  had  happened  some  years  before,  as  one  of  Ghattas's 
companies  was  making  their  way  across  Wando's  territories, 
that  six  Nubians  were  murdered  in  the  woods  by  some  natives 
who  had  accompanied  them  to  the  chase,  professing  to  be 
their  guides.  As  soon  as  the  Nubians  had  fired  away  all 
their  ammunition  in  shooting  at  their  game  they  had  no 
means  of  defence  left  in  their  power,  and  consequently  were 
easily  mastered.  Mohammed  at  once  sent  to  demand  the 
six  guns,  which  beyond  a  doubt  were  in  the  possession  of 
Wando's  people — so  anxious  was  he  to  prevent  the  natives 
>  from  becoming  acquainted  with  the  use  of.  firearms.  Wando 
commenced  by  denying  his  ability  to  meet  the  demand,  and 
then  resorted  to  procrastination ;  but  subsequently,  pressed 
by  Mohammed,  who  declared  that  the  continuance  of  his 
friendly  relations  must  depend  upon  the  restitution  of  the 
guns,  he  surrendered  four  of  them,  asserting  that  the  others 
could  not  be  found.  Any  further  satisfaction  was  not  to  be 
expected,  because  on  the  one  hand  there  was  either  no  getting 
the  perpetrators  into  custody,  and  on  the  other,  even  if 
they  could  be  brought  from  their  place  of  refuge,  no  one 
could  be  bribed  to  give  any  substantial  evidence  against 
them. 

On  the  second  day  after  our  arrival  at  Wando's  residence, 
attended  by  a  considerable  number  of  natives  and  a  dozen 
soldiers,  I  made  an  excursion  out  for  about  two  leagues 
northwards  along  the  banks  of  the  Dyagbe.  Guereza-monkeys 
in  merry  groups  were  in  the  foliage  above,  but  I  was  not 
fortunate  enough  to  bring  down  more  than  a  single  specimen. 
According  to  the  statements  of  my  guides,  who  were  hunters 
by  profession,  chimpanzees  were  numerous,  but  we  certainly 
did  not  get  a  glimpse  of  one.  Very  weary  with  my  exertions 
of  tramping  over  the  marshy  ground  I  was  rejoiced  to  bring 


THE  LEAF-EATER. 


513 


back  into  camp  an  ample  booty  in  the  way  of  botanical 
rarities. 

During  our  travels  I  had  obtained  from  the  Niam-niam 
who  accompanied  our  caravan  an  epithet  which  I  never  lost 
in  all  the  subsequent  stages  of  our  journey.  In  their  own 
dialect  these  people  called  me  "  Mbarik-pa,"  which  would 
be  equivalent  to  a  name  amongst  us  of  "  Leaf-eater."  It  was 
a  designation  that  reminded  me  very  vividly  of  my  profes- 
sional brother  David  Douglas,  who  fell  a  martyr  to  his  devo- 
tion to  Nature,  and  who  was  known  amongst  the  North- 
American  Indians  as  "  the  Grass-man." 

My  Niam-niam  interpreter  Gyabir,  as  I  learnt  some  time 
afterwards,  had  given  his  friends  some  marvellous  accounts 
of  the  way  in  which  I  was  accustomed  to  eat  whatever  I 
found  growing.  He  used  to  relate  that  I  had  a  habit  of 
dismissing  my  attendants  and  getting  into  a  dense  thicket 
where  I  imagined  that  I  was  unobserved,  and  that  then  I  used 
with  great  haste  to  gather  and  devour  enormous  quantities 
of  leaves,  and  he  added  that  this  was  the  way  in  which,  one 
day  after  another,  I  groped  after  my  ordinary  food.  Others 
contributed  their  observation  that  I  invariably  came  forth 
from  the  woods  with  an  exhilarated  expression  and  quite 
a  satiated  look,  whilst  they  were  conscious  of  nothing 
else  than  the  cravings  of  hunger.  After  all  it  was  very 
natural  ;  for  the  inspiration  which  is  derived  from  con- 
templating Nature  can  elevate  one  far  abovci  his  mortal 
and  bodily  wants. 

The  dominant  idea  which  seemed  to  be  impressed  upon 
the  natives  by  my  botanical  ardour  concentrated  itself  upon 
their  conviction  as  to  the  character  of  the  country  where  the 
white  man  has  his  home.  x\ccording  to  their  belief  the  land 
wherein  the  white  men  spent  their  lives  could  show  neither 
grass  nor  tree,  and  consisted  of  nothing  better  than  sandy 
plain  and  stony  flat.  Those  amongst  them  who  had  been 
carried  away  as  slaves  in  the  ivory  expeditions  and  had 


514 


THE  HEART' OF  AFRICA. 


returned  again  from  Khartooin  had  brought  strange  accounts 
of  the  grim  desolation  and  utter  drought  of  the  Moslem  lands 
over  which  they  had  passed  ;  and  what,  they  asked,  must  be 
the  condition  of  the  still  remoter  countries  of  the  Frank,  of 
whom  they  only  knew  that  he  kept  the  Turk  supplied  with 
cotton-stuffs  and, guns? 


CHAPTEK  XII. 

Poultry-market.  Votive  pillars  and  hunting-trophies.  Indirect  evidence  of 
cannibalism.  The  chimpanzee  in  Central  Africa.  Presents  of  chimpanzee 
skulls.  New  style  of  huts.  The  A-Banga.  Cultivation  of  manioc  in  Central 
Africa.  The  Treculia.  Cam-wood  and  muscat  nuts.  Conflict  with  natives. 
Shooting-match  and  sham  fight.  Magic  lucifers.  Mutual  interchange  of 
blood.  Botanical  excursion  interrupted..  Gyabir  wounded.  Modes  of  ex- 
pressing pain.  Female  slaves  captured.  Giant  lichens.  Tree-termites. 
Monbuttoo  frontier.  Keception  by  Nembey.  Northern  limit  of  the  oil-palm. 
Imaginary  alarm.  Unexpected  arrival  of  Khartoomers.  Visit  of  Bongwa  and 
his  wife.  Cattle  of  the  Maogoo.  Cultivation  of  the  sugar-cane.  Interview 
with  Izingerria.  Arrival  at  the  Welle.  Condition  of  the  Welle.  Kelations 
of  the  stream.  Crossing  the  river.  Monbuttoo  canoes.  New  impressions  of 
the  heart  of  Africa.    Arrival  at  Munza's  residence. 

At  sunrise,  on  the  6th  of  March,  we  took  our  departure  from 
the  abode  of  Wando.  For  our  security  on  the  way,  the 
caravan  was  attended  by  a  number  of  guides  which  the  chief- 
tain had  placed  at  our  disposal.  Just  before  starting,  the 
intelligence  arrived  of  the  death  of  Nduppo,  the  alienated 
and  hostile  brother  of  Wando.  A  party  of  armed  men  had 
been  despatched  by  Wando,  and  after  a  short  conflict  they 
had  killed  th.%  enemy.  Nduppo's  wives  and  children  had 
taken  refuge  in  Mohammed's  Seriba,  where  they  met  with  a 
hospitable  reception  and  were  provided  with  the  residence 
and  provisions  that  were  necessary  for  their  support. 

According  to  a  custom  which  is  generally  recognised  in 
Central  Africa,  whenever  a  caravan  mistakes  its  way  and  is 
obliged  to  retrace  its  steps  and  return  to  a  road  from  which 
it  has  deviated,  a  bough  is  thrown  across  the  wrong  path  and 
a  furrow  is  scratched  in  the  ground  by  means  of  the  feet,  so 


516 


TPIE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


that  no  succeeding  caravans  may  fall  into  the  same  error. 
This  duty  is  entrusted  to  the  people  accompanying  the 
standard-bearer  in  the  rear. 

The  route  of  the  first  day  led  us  along  the  right  bank  of 
the  Dyagbe,  past  Wando's  tall  conical  huts,  and  through 
a  gallery  of  picturesque  wood  scenery.  Having  forded  the 
stream  which,  plentifully  supplied  with  water,  resolved  itself 
into  several  channels,  we  rested  on  the  farther  side  amidst 
the  outlying  homesteads  of  the  district.  The  startled  inmates 
made  a  momentary  escape ;  but  soon  recovered  from  their 
alarm,  and  returning  to  their  dwellings  commenced  a  brisk 
business  in  selling  poultry  all  along  our  line.  The  men 
alone,  however,  brought  their  fowls,  tied  up  in  bundles,  to  the 
market ;  the  women  kept  themselves  quite  aloof.  After  a 
brook  of  smaller  dimensions  had  been  crossed  and  some  more 
groups  of  huts  had  been  left  behind,  the  caravan  arrived  at 
a  stream  of  considerable  magnitude  known  as  the  Billwey, 
but  which  so  much  resembled  the  Dyagbe  in  the  shady 
character  of  its  banks  that  it  might  very  easily  be  mistaken 
for  it.  Then  ensued  two  of  the  "  gallery  "  paths,  the  first 
being  quite  small,  the  other  somewhat  larger  and  known  by 
the  name  of  Mono.  The  district  still  seemed  to  be  fairly 
populous,  and  from  all  sides  we  were  met  by  people  t?ho 
came  to  us  partly  to  offer  their  services  as  guides,  and  partly 
to  learn  what  particulars  they  could  about  the  intentions  of 
the  caravan.  There  was  a  coming  and  going  which  a  Euro- 
pean might  compare  to  the  bustleof  a  general  holiday  at  home. 

Without  stopping,  however,  we  continued  our  progress,  and 
by  noon  we  reached  a  brook  called  Diamvonoo,  one  of  the 
gallery  streams,  of  which  the  banks  were  enclosed  by  dwel- 
lings. Here  we  halted  close  to  the  huts  of  the  superintendent 
of  the  place. 

The  Niam-niam  residences  seem  never  to  fail  in  having 
some  posts  which  the  natives  erect  for  the  purpose  of  dis- 
playing, in  proof  of  their  bravery,  whatever  trophies  of 


Llbrify 
9f  the 


TOKENS  OF  CANNIBALISM. 


517 


success  they  have  gained  either  in  hunting  or  in  war.  To 
this  practice,  as  established  on  the  Diamvonoo,  my  osteolo- 
gical  collection  is  indebted,  for  some  considerable  additions. 
Attached  to  the  projections  of  these  memorial  posts  were 
skulls  of  antelopes  of  many  a  species,  skulls  of  little  monkeys 
and  of  great  baboons,  skulls  of  wild  boars  and  of  chimpan- 
zees, and  I  must  not  hesitate  to  add,  skulls  of  men  !  These 
were  in  some  cases  quite  entire,  whilst  in  others  they  were 
mere  fragments.  They  were  fastened  to  the  erections  like 
the  presents  on  a  Christmas-tree,  but  instead  of  being  gifts 
for  children,  they  were  treasures  for  the  comparative 
anatomist.  Too  decisive  to  be  misunderstood  were  the 
evidences  of  the  propensity  to  cannibalism  which  met  our 
astonished  gaze.  Close  to  the  huts,  amongst  the  piles  of 
refuse,  were  human  bones,  which  bore  the  unquestionable 
tokens  of  having  been  subjected  to  the  hatchet  or  the  knife  ; 
and  all  around  upon  the  branches  of  the  neighbouring  trees 
were  hanging  human  feet  and  hands  more  than  half  shrivelled 
into  a  skeleton  condition,  but  being  as  yet  only  partially 
(h-y,  and  imperfectly  slieltered  by  the  leaves,  they  polluted 
the  atmosphere  with  a  revolting  and  intolerable  stench.  The 
prospect  was  not  inviting,  and  the  asylum  offered  to  travellers 
was  far  from  tempting ;  but  we  did  not  sulBfer  ourselves  to  be 
discouraged,  and  made  up  our  minds  to  be  as  comfortable  as 
we  could  in  our  little  huts. 

Without  loss  of  time  I  betook  myself  naturally  to  the 
chase  for  trophies,  Mohammed  entering  with  so  much  zeal 
into  my  pursuit  after  the  skulls  of  some  of  the  chimpanzees, 
that  he  clambered  up  one  of  the  votive  pillars.  This  drew 
upon  us  the  eyes  of  the  astonished  natives,  and  their  amaze- 
ment seemed  to  be  especially  directed  to  the  circumstance  of 
our  taking  so  much  trouble  into  our  own  hands.  "  You  have 
plenty  of  slaves,"  they  said,  "  you  are  chieftains  and  have 
authority  ;  how  is  it  tliat  you  are  not  ashamed  to  work  for 
yourselves  in  the  way  you  do?  "    This,  probably,  was  spoken 


518  THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 

in  derision,  or  probably  in  a  measure  as  a  reproach  to  us  for 
appropriating  what  did  not  belong  to  us.  However,  I  put 
on  the  air  of  munificence,  and  set  matters  all  right  by  a 
prodigal  distribution  of  copper  rings. 

Taking  into  account  the  large  number  of  skulls  of  chim- 
panzees, more  or  less  perfect,  which  I  saw  in  the  hamlets  on 
the  Diamvonoo,  I  am  sure  that  I  am  quite  justified  ih  my 
impression  that  this  spot  must  be  one  of  the  centres  from 
which  these  creatures  circulate  their  kind.  Upon  the 
Western  x\frican  coasts  the  prevalence  of  the  chimpanzee 
breed  is  very  considerable,  extending  from  the  Gambia 
down  to  Benguela.  But  in  the  interior,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  haunt  of  the  chimpanzee  hitherto  has  been  supposed  to 
be  limited  to  the  country  of  the  Niam-niam.  Previous  to 
my  arrival  the  Khartoom  people  had  been  the  means  of 
securing  some  defective  skins,  which  were  sent  to  various 
museums,  and  these  were  quite  sufficient  to  confirm  the  fact 
of  the  existence  of  chimpanzees  in  that  quarter.  But  so 
great  was  the  variety  in  age  and  kind,  so  marked  the  differ- 
ence in  these  beasts  according  as  they  came  from  one  district 
or  another,  that  a  whole  series,  it  appeared,  of  varying  species 
had  to  be  distinguished  and  arranged  by  means  of  material 
which  was  totally  inadequate  for  scientific  classification. 
Nearly  all  the  specimens  at  hand  were  those  of  very  young 
animals,  and  no  mammal  is  known  which  as  it  grows  older  is 
subject  to  more  decided  changes  in  its  external  appearance 
than  the  anthropomorphic  ape. 

I  am  not  speaking  of  Du  Chaillu's  gorilla.  This  largest 
of  all  apes  is  sufficiently  known,  and  its  specific  stability 
is  no  longer  a  matter  of  doubt.  Its  range,  however,  is 
apparently  very  limited,  as  hitherto  it  has  only  been  found 
in  the  delta  of  the  Ogowai. 

On  the  other  hand  the  chimpanzee,  as  it  exists  far  and 
wide  in  the  west  of  Africa,  has,  in  consequence  of  its  indi- 
vidual and  collective  features,  been  divided  into  a  long  series 


TROGLODYTES  NIGEB. 


519 


of  supposed  species,  varieties,  and  races,  about  which  the 
most  skilled  investigators  in  this  branch  of  natural  history 
are  by  no  means  agreed.  In  one  point  they  seem  to  be 
unanimous,  and  all  concur  in  recognising  the  Troglodytes 
niger,  E.  Geoffr.,  as  the  progenitor  or  the  normal  type  of  this 
series  of  anthropomorphic  apes. 

The  chimpanzee  of  Central  Africa,  to  judge  from  the 
specimens  that  have  found  their  way  to  European  museums, 
differs  in  many  respects  from  the  true  Troglodytes  niger,  E. 
Geoffr.,  and  may  be  accounted  as  a  separate  race  which  in  the 
lapse  of  time  has  developed  itself,  and  adapted  its  condition 
to  subsistence  in  far  out-lying  regions.  Professor  Giglioli,  of 
-Florence  has  classified  it  as  a  subsidiary  kind  or  sub-species, 
to  which  he  has  assigned  my  own  name,  because,  in  1866,  I 
was  the  first  to  bring  any  definite  information  about  it. 
In  a  work*  elaborated  with  the  utmost  care  he  has  collected 
every  detail  that  science  offered  to  his  hand.  According 
to  Giglioli  the  chimpanzee  of  the  Niam-niam  countries  was 
distinguished  from  the  Troglodytes  niger  of  Western  Africa 
by  the  large  capacity  of  its  brain  chamber,  which  he  thought 
could  very  probably  not  be  matched  by  any  other  species. 
We  are  indebted  to  Professor  R.  Hartmann,  of  Berlin,  for  a 
monograph  f  which  has  collected  into  one  view,  and  may  be 
said  to  exhaust,  all  the  material  which  has  hitherto  been 
brought  to  bear  upon  this  topic.  From  a  comparison  of  a 
very  large  number  of  specimens  of  very  various  origin,  lie 
has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Niam-niam  chimpanzee 
has  no  such  marked  distinction  as  to  isolate  it  in  a  systematic 
sense,  and  that  notwithstanding  some  subordinate  charac- 
teristics of  race,  it  must  still  be  reckoned  as  one  amongst 
the  many  forms  of  the  Troglodytes  niger. 

In  modern  times  there  are  no  animals  in  creation  which 

*  '  Troglodytes  Schweinfurthii  Gigl.  in  Studii  Craniologici  sui  Cimpauze.' 
Ge-Qova,  1872. 

t  Keichert's  and  Du  Bois  Kaymond's  '  Archiv.'    Berlin.  1872. 

Vol.  I.— 36 


520 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


have  attracted  a  larger  amount  of  attention  from  the  scien- 
tific student  of  nature,  than  these  great  quadrumani,  which 
are  stamped  with  such  singular  resemblance  to  the  human 
form  as  to  have  justified  the  epithet  of  anthropomorphic. 
The  most  distinguished  zoologists  and  anatomists  have 
devoted  to  them  their  best  and  undivided  attention,  and 
their  industry  has  resulted  in  the  publication  of  splendid 
works  in  illustration  of  their  studies.  The  labours  of  Giglioli 
and  Hartmann  indicate  a  still  further  advance  in  these 
strivings  after  truth.  These  inquiries  cannot  fail  to  be  as 
supremely  interesting  to  man,  as  the  crown  of  creation,  as  the 
prospect  of  the  ultimate  solution  of  the  problems  of  ethno- 
graphy still  hidden  in  the  heart  of  the  continent  of  Africa, 
must  be  to  the  civilised  nations  of  Europe.  But  all  investi- 
gation at  present  only  leads  human  intelligence  to  a  con- 
fession of  its  insufficiency  ;  and  nowhere  is  caution  more  to 
be  advocated,  nowhere  is  premature  judgment  more  to  be 
deprecated,  than  in  the  attempt  to  bridge  over  the  mysterious 
chasm  which  separates  man  and  beast. 

Justly  enough  has  Hartmann  expressed  his  indignation 
against  those  ephemeral  writers  and  those  dilettanti^  who, 
incapable  of  scientific  research  and  unfurnished  with  scientific 
material,  have  ventured  to  handle  the  topic  of  the  anthropo- 
morphic apes."  These  empty  theorists,  when  they  circulate 
their  baseless,  or  at  least  their  unripe,  hypotheses,  may 
perchance  persuade  themselves  that  they  have  mastered  the 
doctrine  either  of  the  elevation  of  the  ape  or  the  deterioration 
of  man ;  but  in  reality  they  have  done  nothing  but  aggravate 
the  bewilderment  which  already  had  turned  the  heads  of  a 
half- wise  generation. 

It  was  getting  well  onwards  towards  night,  and  by  the 
red  glare  of  the  pitch-torch  which  is  the  invariable  resource 
for  lighting  the  Niam-niam  huts,  I  was  getting  my  supper, 
in  the  simplicity  of  the  primitive  times  of  creation,  off 
sweetened  plantains  and  tapioca,  when  I  was  interrupted  by 


CHIMPANZEES. 


521 


a  visit  from  some  of  the  natives  who  lived  close  at  hand. 
They  had  come  to  dispose  of  a  collection  of  fine  skulls  of  the 
chimpanzee,  and  I  effected  the  purchase  by  means  of  some 
large  copper  rings.  The  people  told  me  of.  the  abundance 
of  these  creatures  in  the  adjacent  woods,  and  related  a 
number  of  the  adventures  which  had  befallen  them  in  theii- 
arduous  attempts  to  capture  them  :  they  promised,  more- 
over, to  bring  me  some  further  contributions  for  my  collection, 
but  unfortunately  I  could  not  wait  to  receive  them  ;  we 
could  not  prolong  our  stay  because  of  the  scarcity  of  provi- 
sions, and  we  had  to  start  betimes  on  the  following  morning. 
Altogether  I  made  an  addition  of  about  a  dozen  skulls  to 
what  I  had  previously  secured,  but  many  interesting  frag- 
ments I  much  regretted  being  obliged  to  leave  behind,  having 
no  alternative  on  account  of  my  limited  means  of  transport. 

It  was  not  my  good  fortune  to  witness  a  chimpanzee 
hunt.  This  is  always  an  arduous  undertaking,  involving 
many  difficulties.  According  to  the  statements  of  the  Mam- 
niam  themselves  the  chase  requires  a  party  of  twenty  or 
thirty  resolute  hunters,  who  have  to  ascend  the  trees,  which 
are  some  eighty  feet  high,  and  to  clamber  after  the  agile 
and  crafty  brutes  until  they  can  drive  them  into  the  snares 
l)repared  beforehand.  Once  entangled  in  a  net,  the  beasts 
are  without  much  further  difficulty  killed  by  means  of  spears. 
However,  in  some  cases  they  will  defend  themselves  savagely 
and  with  all  the  fury  of  despair.  Driven  by  the  hunters 
into  a  corner,  they  were  said  to  wrest  the  lances  from  the 
men's  hands  and  to  make  good  use  of  them  against  the  adver- 
sary. Nothing  was  more  to  be  dreaded  than  being  bitten  by 
their  tremendous  fangs,  or  getting  into  the  grasp  of  their 
powerful  arms.  Just  as  in  the  woods  of  the  west,  all  manner 
of  stories  were  rife  as  to  how  they  had  carried  off  young  girls, 
and  how  they  defended  their  plunder,  and  how  they  con- 
structed wonderful  nests  upon  the  topmost  boughs  of  the  trees 
—all  these  tales,  of  course,  being  but  the  purest  fabrications. 


522 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Amongst  the  Niam-niam,  the  chimpanzee  is  called 
'*  Kanya,"  or  "  Manjarooma in  the  Arabic  of  the  Soudan, 
where  long  ago  its  existence  seems  to  have  been  known,  it 
was  included  iji  the  general  name  of  "  Ba-ahm."  The  life 
which  the  Kanya  leads  is  very  much  like  what  is  led  by  the 
ourang-outang  in  Borneo,  and  is  spent  almost  entirely  in  the 
trees,  the  woods  on  the  river-banks  being  the  chief  resort  of 
the  animals.  But  in  the  populous  Monbuttoo  country,  where 
the  woodlands  have  been  thinned  to  permit  the  extensive 
cultivation  of  plantains,  the  chimpanzees  exhibit  a  great  fear 
of  man,  and  pass  their  existence  in  comparative  solitariness. 
Like  the  gorillas,  they  are  not  found  in  herds,  but  either  in 
pairs  or  even  quite  alone,  and  it  is  only  the  young  which 
occasionally  may  be  seen  in  groups. 

For  three  leagues  we  advanced  on  the  next  day  towards 
the  S.S.W. ;  and  this  was  the  general  direction,  with  little 
variation,  by  which  we  continued  our  progress  to  the  Mon- 
buttoo. Durin'g  this  short  interval  we  crossed  no  less  than  ^ 
five  water-brooks,  each  of  them  bounded  by  its  "  galleries," 
and  halted  at  last  upon  the  right  bank  of  a  sixth  which  was 
named  the  Assika.  It  was  close  to  the  quarters  of  a  chief 
whose  name  was  Kollo.  With  the  exception  of  a  slight 
elevation  lying  to  the  right,  the  whole  surface  of  th6  land 
between  the  streams  was  level  steppe.  The  borders  of  these 
streams  were  all  well-populated ;  the  soil  was  entirely  under 
cultivation,  and  appeared  to  be  very  productive.  We  found 
ourselves  here  amidst  a  tribe,  differing  widely  in  habits  and 
dialect  from  the  Niam-niam,  and  which  bore  the  semblance 
of  being  a  transition  population  allied  to  the  Monbuttoo  who 
occupied  the  districts  in  our  front. 

This  tribe  is  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the  A-Banga. 
They  are  said  to  have  come  across  the  wide  desert,  which 
bounds  the  territories  of  the  two  nations,  and  quite  recently 
to  have  migrated  into  the  lands  of  the  Niam-niam,  submitting 
themselves  voluntarily  to  the  sway  of  Wando.     A  very 


THE  A-BANGA. 


523 


similar  migration,  resulting  in  the  partial  blending  of  the  two 
people,  seems  to  have  occurred  in  the  west,  where  the  A-Madi,* 
driven  out  by  over-population,  their  product  of  roots  and 
plantains,  which  they  obtained  without  toil,  being  inadequate 
for  their  support,  resorted  to  the  Gangarra  hills  of  Indimma. 
Some  chance  few  of  the  A-Madi  were  found  intermixed 
with  the  A-Banga.  Both  of  these  could  be  thoroughly  iden- 
tified with  the  Monbuttoo  by  their  habits  and  mode  of  life, 
but  with  regard  to  dialect  they  would  seem  to  have  been 
much  influenced  by  their  intermixture  with  the  bordering 
population  of  the  Niam-niam.  The  last  home  which  they 
occupied  as  a  clan  was  the  populous  province  which  the 
Monbuttoo  king  Munza  now  possesses  to  the  north  of  the 
Welle.  As  the  greater  part  of  the  A-Banga  are  quite  capable 
of  speaking  the  Zandey  (or  Niam-niam)  dialect,  I  had  no 
difficulty  by  the  aid  of  my  interpreters  in  holding  conver- 
sation with  them ;  beyond  the  Welle,  however,  there  were 
very  few  with  whom  they  were  able  to  converse. 

The  first  hamlets  of  the  A-Banga  which  we  entered,  made 
it  at  once  clear  that  they  adopted  quite  a  different  style 
of  building  their  huts  to  what  we  had  already  seen.  The 
conical  form  of  the  roofs,  employed  as  it  is  in  nearly  every 
other  region  of  Central  Africa,  here  began  to  give  place 
to  the  roof  with  a  gable  end  which  is  universal  farther  south. 
The  square  huts  themselves  were  sometimes  constructed  with 
posts  and  left  open  like  sheds,  and  were  sometimes  enclosed 
by  four  walls. 

The  dress  and  war  equipment  of  the  A-Banga  are  the  same 
as  those  of  the  Monbuttoo.  The  ears  of  both  sexes  are 
pierced  so  that  a  good  thick  stick  can  easily  be  run  through 
the  aperture,  and  for  this  purpose  the  concave  portion  of  the 
ear  is  cut  out.    As  a  consequence  of  this '  custom  both  the 


*  The  A-Madi  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Madi  of  the  Mittoo,  nor 
with  the  Madi  south  of  Gondokoro.  In  the  native  dialect  "a"  is  only  a 
plural  form :  e.g.,  "  ango "  means  a  dog ;  " a-ango,"  dogs. 


524 


THE  HEART  OF  AFETCA. 


A-BaDga  and  the  Monbuttoo  have  acquired  from  the  Nubians 
the  name  of  the  Gurrugurroo  (derived  from  the  word  gurgur 
which  signifies  "  bored")  to  distinguish  them  from  theNiam- 
niam,  which  is  their  term  to  denote  all  cannibals.  The  A-Banga 
and  Monbuttoo  also  practise  circumcision,  whilst  the  Niam- 
niam  abstain  entirely  from  any  mutilation  of  the  body. 

Turned  up  into  a  high  chignon,  the  hair  is  worn  by  the 
women  of  the  A-Banga  without  any  he^d-covering,  the  men 
commonly  adopting  the  mode  of  the  Niam-niam,  who  wear  a 


^  An  A-Banga. 


straw  hat  without  a  brim.  Some  of  the  men,  however,  as  in 
the  accompanying^  portrait,  make  a  compromise  between  the 
Monbuttoo  and  Niam-niara  fashion,  wearing  tlie  hair  in  the 
Monbuttoo  style  about  the  forehead  and  temples,  and  dis- 
(iarding  the  chignon  for  the  tufts  worn  by  the  Niam-iiiam. 
The  small  apron  which  they  wore  was  not,  as  with  the  Niam- 
niam,  made  of  skin,  but  from  the  bark  of  the  Eokko  fig-tree. 


CULTIVATION  OF  MANiqC.  525 

The  shields  did  not  consist  of  the  oval  wicker-work  of  rotang, 
but  were  four-cornered  tables  of  wood  of  a  length  sufficient  to 
protect  the  entire  body.  In  place  of  the  trumbash  and  Niam- 
niam  lance,  they  carried  the  lances,  scimitars,  and  bows  and 
arrows  of  the  Monbuttoo.  The  women  go  all  but  entirely 
naked,  wearing  nothing  but  a  fragment  of  the  bark  of  the 
fig-tree.  Just  under  the  arms,  in  the  same  way  as  the  Mon- 
buttoo women,  they  bind  a  stout  and  broad  strip  of  some 
woven  material,  which  when  they  sit  upon  their  benches  and 
low  stools  hangs  across  their  lap,  and  serves  as  well  for  a  girth 
in  which  to  carry  their  little  children. 

In  this  intermediate  district  between  the  corn-lands  and 
the  lands  in  which  roots  or  fruits  were  cultivated,  the 
fertility  was  very  wonderful,  and  the  agricultural  labour  that 
was  applied  was  very  great.  Besides  eleusine  and  maize 
there  were  many  patches  of  penicillaria :  amongst  earth- 
products  I  observed  yams,  helmia,  colocasia,  manioc,  and  the 
sweet-potato ;  amongst  various  other  leguminous  plants  there 
grew  the  catyang  or  rawan-bean  '( Vigna  sinensis),  the  horse- 
bean  (Canavalia)  the  voandzeia,  and  the  Phasasolus  lunatus; 
the  oily  fruits  included  earth-nuts,  sesame,  and  hyptis  ;  whilst 
there  still  remained  room  for  Virginian  "tobacco,  for  the 
sugar-cane,  for  the  Eokko  fig-tree,  and  for  large  numbers  of 
plantations  of  plantains  (Musa  sajpientium). 

Manioc  plays  an  important  part  amongst  the  plants  culti- 
vated in  this  region,  both  on  account  of  the  yield  it  gives  and 
the  small  amount  of  labour  required  in  its  cultivation.  Here, 
as  in  Guiana  and  Brazil,  it  seems  to  delight  in  a  soil  that 
is  rather  moist  and  somewhat  shaded,  and  accordingly  the 
position  which  is  usually  chosen  for  its  culture  is  just  on  the 
border  of  the  "  galleries  "  on  the  open  steppe.  The  end  of 
April,  at  the  real  commencement  of  the  rainy  season,  is  the 
best  time  for  planting  it.  The  plant  is  of  a  leafy  growth, 
it  has  hardly  any  wood,  and  attains  a  height  varying  from 
three  to  six  feet ;  the  mode  of  planting  it  consists  simply  of 


526 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


breaking  off  some  pieces  about  a  span  long,  and  burying  them 
ill  the  soil  which  has  been  superficially  broken  up.  It  is 
quite  unnecessary  to  trench  it,  since  the  soil  is  naturally  very 
light  and  loose,  being  composed  principally  of  rotten  leaves. 
As  the  manioc  is  a  year  and  a  half  or  two  years  before  it 
produces  strong  tubers,  it  is  customary  to  use  the  ground 
between  the  rows,  by  planting,  as  is  done  elsewhere,  various 
other  crops,  either  of  maize,  colocasia,  or  yams.  One  great 
advantage  connected  with  the  manioc  is  the  length  of  time 
for  which  the  tubers  may  be  left  in  the  earth  after  their  full 
development :  provided  only  the  ants  can  be  kept  from 
them,  they  will  remain  in  good  condition  for  two  or  three 
years ;  consequently  they  do  not  require  to  be  housed,  and 
their  culture  admits  of  leaving  the  granaries  free  for  other 
provisions,  in  a  way  quite  diferent  from  most  tubers,  which 
would  soon  perish  if  suffered  to  remain  in  the  wet  soil. 

The  gatheriiig  is  nearly  as  simple  a  process  as  the  planting. 
Each  single  plant  is  pulled  away  from  the  loose  earth,  and 
the  tubers  are  allowed  to  remain  attached.  In  quality  and 
size  they  differ  very  materially.  As  the  death  of  our  poor 
Bongo  bearer  had  testified,  some  of  the  varieties  when  eaten 
in  a  crude  form  are  most  poisonous,  and  even  when  boiled 
they  are  very  injurious  unless  the  fibrous  fringes  have  been 
removed  from  the  hearts.  Scientific  analysis  has  shown  that 
they  contain  a  certain  proportion  of  prussic  acid,  and  there  is 
no  doubt  that  their  leaves  when  bruised  emit  the  decided 
odour  of  bitter  almonds.  The  unwholesome  kinds  are  gene  - 
rally of  small  growth,  ^nd  as  a  rule  are  of  very  woody 
texture.  The  finer  and  nutritious  sorts  grow  as  large  as  a 
man's  arm,  and  being  very  tender  may  be  eaten  with  no  more 
misgiving  than  the  camanioc  of  Brazil,  which  is  the  form,  of 
the  vegetable  for  which  a  great  partiality  is  shown  by  the 
Monbuttoo  south  of  the  Welle. 

No  one  can  have  travelled  much  in  the  tropics  without 
being  tolerably  acquainted  with  the  mode  commonly  prac- 


CULTIVATION  OF  MANIOC. 


527 


tised  of  dressing  the  manioc.  I  will  therefore  only  pause  to 
mention  that  the  method  followed  here  of  getting  rid  of  the 
poisonous  matter  does  not  consist  so  much  in  expressing  the 
juices  as  in  cutting  up  the  tubers  into  pieces,  and  allowing 
them  to  remain  in  water  for  more  than  four-and-twenty  hours ; 
the  result  is  that  they  get  a  very  tainted  flavour,  which, 
however,  disappears  again  in  the  process  of  drying.  A 
long  boiling  finally  prepares  the  manioc  for  eating.  The 
yield  of  starch,  which  is  known  as  South  American  tapioca, 
is  estimated  as  one  third  of  the  weight  of  the  fresh  tubers. 

Very  probably,  I  should  think,  manioc  has  found  its  way 
to  this  extreme  limit  of  its  culture  from  Angola,  by  means 
of  the  intercourse  of  the  people  with  the  states  under  the 
dominion  of  Miwata  Yamvo,  many  of  whose  customs  appear 
to  have  been  transferred  to  the  Monbuttoo.  But  in  all  the 
northern  parts  of  the  Nile  region  the  cultivation  of  manioc  is 
still  unknown,  and  although  it  has  made  its  way  into  nearly 
all  countries  on  the  coasts  within  the  tropics,  it  has  not 
advanced  towards  Egypt  as  far  as  Nubia,  or  towards  Arabia 
as  far  as  Abyssinia. 

Thoroughly  authenticated,  meanwhile,  stands  the  fact 
that  it  was  originally  planted  by  the  Portuguese  upon  the 
western  coasts,  and  first  of  all  in  Angola.  An  inference  may 
very  fairly  be  deduced  that  in  this  way  various  other  plants, 
such  as  maize  and  tobacco,  were  introduced  into  Africa,  and 
only  became  naturalised  at  some  date  subsequent  to  the 
discovery  of  America. 

After  scrutinising  this  district  as  fully  as  I  could,  I  was 
surprised  never  to  find  a  single  instance  of  the  existence  of 
the  Carica  jpajpaya,  which  has  now  for  so  long  become  indi- 
genous to  all  the  maritime  tropical  countries  of  the  world. 
Barth  speaks  of  its  abundance  in  the  states  of  Haussa,  and 
other  travellers  in  the  tropics  have  made  frequent  mention 
of  its  growth,  but  I  do  not  remember  findino-  it  in  Egypt  except 
as  a  garden  curiosity,  while  in  Nubia  and  Abyssinia  I  never  met 


528 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


with  it  at  all.  I  was  the  first  to  introduce  tomatoes  into  the 
district  of  the  Gazelle,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  ere  long 
they  will  be  extensively  grown  even  in  the  most  central 
localities  of  Africa.  Cultivated  so  easily  as  they  are,  they 
nevertheless  seem  to  be  utterly  wanting  throughout  all 
the  wild  districts  that  have  been  hitherto  explored  in  the 
southern  portion  of  the  continent. 

On  the  8th  of  March  some  ivory  business  on  the  part  of 
Mohammed  entailed  the  break  of  a  day  in  our  continued 
march.  The  respite  afforded  me  an  opportunity,  which  I 
readily  embraced,  of  making  a  botanising  trip  to  the  rich 
galleries  of  the  woods  on  the  Assika.  Bribed  by  a  few  copper 
rings,  some  natives  willingly  came  with  me  and  were  of 
infinite  service  in  getting  me  the  produce  of  some  gigantic 
trees  which  otherwise  had  been  quite  inaccessible.  Amongst 
these  trees  I  may  specially  mention  a  Treculia,  eighty  feet 
high,  known  as  the  ^'pushyoh,"  one  of  the  family  of  the 
Artocarpese.  The  great  globular  fruit  of  this  was  larger  than 
my  head,  and  seemed  to  realise  the  wish  of  the  peasant  in 
the  fable  where  he  longed  for  a  tree  which  wQuld  grow  pump- 
kins. I  stood  and  gazed  with  astonishment  at  the  A-Banga, 
who  seemed  to  have  all  the  nimbleness  of  monkeys.  By 
taking  hold  of  the  boughs  of  the  smaller  trees,  and  bending 
them  down  sideways,  and  tearing  down  the  long  rope-like 
creepers,  they  contrived  to  climb  the  tallest  and  the  smoothest 
stems.  Some  of  the  trees  were  ten  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
base,  and  had  a  bark  without  a  wrinkle ;  not  unfrequently 
they  ran  up  to  a  height  of  some  forty  feet  without  throwing 
out  a  single  branch,  standing,  as  it  were,  like  the  columns  of 
a  thousand  years  in  the  piazzas  of  the  Eternal  City. 

I  had  made  some  chain-shot,  but  neither  by  means  of  this 
nor  by  the  use  of  my  heaviest  single  bullets  could  I  succeed 
in  getting  any  specimens  of  the  fruit  which  grew  on  the  tops 
of  the  tallest  trees ;  my  ordinary  shot,  however,  sufficed  to 
bring  down  some  detached  leaves,  from  the  examination  of 


OPPOSITION. 


529 


which  I  was  able  to  form  an  opinion  as  to  the  true  scientific 
character  of  these  giants  of  the  wood.  My  proceedings  ap- 
peared to  confirm  the  impression  which  the  natives  began  to 
form  that  I  must  be  a  leaf-eater. 

Here  on  the  Assika  I  found  a  kind  of  muscat-nut 
(MyrisHca),  and  here  too  I  gatliered  the  first  examples  I  had 
seen  of  the  West  African  cam-wood  (Pierolohium  sandali- 
noides),  which  after  it  has  been  pulverised  is  commonly  used 
as  a  favourite  rouge  for  the  skin  of  the  Niara-niam  and 
Monbuttoo  men.  The  women,  in  both  districts  alike,  are 
accustomed  to  stain  themselves  by  preference  with  a  black 
dye  that  is  extracted  from  the  pulp  of  the  Gardenia  fruity 
known  as  blippo.  Here,  likewise,  I  again  saw  another  of 
the  notorious  towering  trees  of  Africa,  the  mulberry-tree 
of  Angola,  which  Welwitsch  has  asserted  is  known  to  grow 
to  a  height  of  130  feet. 

Keverting  for  a  moment  to  what  had  transpired  before,  1 
may  mention  that,  on  the  preceding  day,  we  had  had  our 
first  disagreement  with  the  native  population.  Just  before 
we  reached  the  Assika  we  were  about  to  halt  for  a  few 
minutes'  rest,  when,  although  our  caravan  was  accompanied 
by  Kollo  and  Bakinda,  the  chiefs  of  the  district  through 
which  we  were  pushing,  the  owner  of  the  land  came  and 
began  to  inveigh  against  us  with  the  most  abusive  language, 
and,  brandishing  his  spear  in  defiance,  opposed  our  intention 
to  advance.  He  wanted  to  know  what  right  the  Turks  had 
to  come  spying  out  his  place,  and  declared  that  he  would 
not  submit  to  have  them  defile  any  of  his  quarters.  An 
outbreak  seemed  imminent;  a  mischievous  combination  was 
only  too  likely,  when,  acting  on  KoUo's  advice,  Mohammed 
managed  to  quiet  the  uproar.  He  pr()ceeded  without  further 
parley  to  set  light  to  one  of  the  straw  huts  which  was  being 
used  as  a  granary;  and  it  would  be  impossible  to  exaggerate 
the  fright  and  amazement  of  the  natives  when  they  saw  him 
take  the  flaming  fire  out  of  Ids  hand.  One  single  lucifer  match 


530 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


had  worked  a  miracle.  There  was  no  need  of  further  measures 
of  reprisal  for  our  protection  ;  when  we  reached  the  hamlets 
on  the  Assika  we  found  the  natives  quite  amenable  to  our 
wishes,  and  ready  to  permit  us  to  instal  ourselves  amidst 
their  dwellings. 

In  the  evening  Mohammed  established  a  shooting  match. 
The  natives  had  never  been  made  familiar  with  the  effect  of 
our  firearms,  regarding  them  only  as  clumsy  lances,  or,  as 
they  called  them,  great  "  iron  sticks,"  and  Mohammed  felt  it 
was  desirable  to  inspire  them  with  a  proper  respect  for  the 
weapons.  Selecting  one  of  the  thickest  of  the  wooden  gates 
that,  according  to  custom,  swung  in  front  of  the  huts,  he  set 
it  up  for  a  target,  and  the  general  astonishment  was  un- 
bounded when  it  was  discovered  that  out  of  fifty  balls  at  a 
hundred  paces,  at  least  ten  had  gone  clean  through  the 
wood.  The  Bongo  bearers  were  then  put  through  an  exercise 
of  feigning  an  attack.  With  wild  outcry,  and  still  wilder 
boundings  and  jumpings,  they  rushed  upon  their  imaginary 
foe,  representing,  in  their  way,  the  light  cavalry  dashing  in 
after  the  prelude  of  the  roar  of  the  artillery.  Then,  to 
complete  the  illusion  of  the  spectacle,  they  seized  huge 
clods  of  earth  and  great  clumps  of  grass,  and  so  returned, 
a  picture  of  troops  laden  with  spoil,  to  the  position  from 
which  they  had  started.  This  was  but  a  sham  fight ;  but  a 
few  weeks  later,  and  the  scene  had  to  be  re-enacted  in 
earnest. 

The  next .  movement  of  the  caravan  was  towards  the  west. 
Twice  there  were  some  brooks  to  cross,  and  after  half  a 
league  we  halted  by  the  Yuroo.  We  were  now  in  a  country 
with  a  large  population,  the  whole  district  being  called 
Nabanda  Yuroo,  or  the  "villages  of  the  Yuroo,"  as  the 
names  of  the  streams  in  this  region  always  give  their  desig- 
nation to  the  land.  The  stream  was  shadov/ed  in  the  usual 
way  by  the  thickly  developed  growth  of  the  gallery  foliage, 
and  took  a  curve  in  the  form  of  a  horse-shoe.    Within  the 


ENTERTAINING  THE  A-BANGA. 


531 


bend  were  scattered  the  farmsteads  surrounded  by  large 
groves  of  plantains  of  which  the  ripe  fruit  had  been  already 
housed.  The  preparations  that  were  set  on  foot  towards 
forming  a  camp  without  making  use  of  the  existing  huts 
either  for  the  shelter  of  our  baggage  or  for  the  reception  of 
the  superiors,  demonstrated  at  once  that  a  residence  here  for 
some  days  was  certainly  intended.  The  pretext  alleged  for 
the  stay  was  to  allow  the  Mohammedans  to  solemnise  the 
anniversary  of  their  new  year.  The  issue,  however,  did  not 
answer  to  the  expectation. 

I  had  here  to  exhibit  myself  to  a  larger  number  of  curious 
eyes  than  usual ;  but  I  was  able  to  obtain  the  measurements 
of  the  skulls  of  some  of  the  A-Banga,  whilst  others  were 
immortalised  in  my  sketch-book.  I  had  also  to  provide  for 
the  entertainment  of  the  people  who  came  to  visit  me,  and 
in  this  respect  was  greatly  assisted  by  my  matches,  as  the 
marvel  of  my  being  able  to  produce  fire  at  my  pleasure  was 
an  inexhaustible  source  of  interest.  If  ever  I  handed  over  a 
lucifer  and  allowed  them  to  light  it  themselves,  their  rapture 
surpassed  all  bounds  ;  they  never  failed  to  consider  that  the 
power  of  producing  flames  resided  in  me,  but  their  astonish- 
ment was  very  greatly  increased  when  they  discovered  that  the 
faculty  could  be  extended  to  themselves.  Giving  the  white 
man  credit  for  being  able  to  procure  fire  or  rain  at  his  own 
free-will,  they  looked  upon  the  performances  as  miracles 
unparalleled  since  the  dawn  of  creation.  For  myself, 
I  sat  composedly  apart,  as  though  invested  with  some 
mysterious  charm ;  but  to  say  the  truth,  I  was  rather 
bored  by  this  conjuring,  which  was  a  stale  excitement  to 
me,  as  it  had  now  entered  upon  its  second  year  of  per- 
formance. Still  the  wonder  of  the  Africans  seemed  never 
to  cease,  and  they  did  not  flag  in  their  delight  at  the  in- 
stantaneous flame. 

The  method  of  obtaining  fire,  practised  alike  by  the 
natives  of  the  Nile  lands  and  of  the  adjacent  country  in  the 


532 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


Welle  system,  consists  simply  in  rubbing  together  two  hard 
sticks  at  right  angles  to  one  another  till  a  spark  is  emitted. 
The  hard  twigs  of  the  Anona  senegalensis  are  usually  selected 
for  the  purpose.  Underneath  them  is  placed  either  a  stone 
or  something  upon  which  a  little  pile  of  Ambers  has  been 
laid ;  the  friction  of  the  upper  piece  of  wood  wears  a  hole  in 
the  lower,  and  soon  a  spark  is  caught  by  the  ashes,  and  is 
fanned  into  a  flame  with  some  dry  grass,  which  is  swung 
and  fro  to  cause  a  draught,  the  whole  proceeding  being 
to  marvel  which  might  well-nigh  eclipse  the  magic  of  my 
lucifer  matches. 

As  we  were  now  expecting  a  forced  campaign  of  two  days 
through  the  wilderness,  on  the  confines  my  servants  had  to 
apply  their  attention  to  the  provision  of  adequate  supplies, 
as  whatever  we  required  would  have  to  be  carried  with  us. 
To  accomplish  our  plan  satisfactorily  we  were  obliged  to 
contract  a  treaty  offensive  and  defensive  with  the  natives, 
and  nothing  would  suffice  for  this  but  a  mutual  interchange 
of  blood.  The  circumstance  led  me  for  the  first  time  to 
become  a  witness  of  this  barbarous,  but  truly  x\frican  custom. 
The  words  of  the  pledge  are  emphatic :  "  In  peace  we  will 
hold  together ;  in  war  we  will  be  a  mutual  defence."  Osman, 
one  of  my  people  who  had  come  from  Berber,  being  a  novice 
in  the  ranks  of  the  Niam-niam  campaigners,  became  one  of 
the  most  enthusiastic  adherents  to  this  pledge.  In  vain  I 
represented  to  him  the  unlawfulness  of  his  conduct  from  a 
Mohammedan  point  of  view ;  I  threatened  that  for  the  future 
he  should  be  called  a  heretic  and  an  unbeliever,  as  bad  as  a 
Kaffir ;  but  all  to  no  purpose  :  he  became  a  blood-drinker  by 
profession,  and  so  obtained  from  me  whatever  copper  rings  and 
beads  were  necessary  for  cementing  the  bonds  of  the  treaty. 

The  following  day  was  devoted  entirely  to  exploring  the 
sylvan  flora  around  ;  to  my  heart's  desire  could  I  now  wander 
amidst  the  thickets  on  the  Yuroo,  which  would  have  been 
deemed  inaccessible  to  any  one  but  a  plant-hunter. 


HOSTILE  ATTITUDE  OF  THE  NATIVES. 


533 


In  the  mould  formed  by  the  leaves  which  had  decayed 
beside  the  stream  that  parted  itself  into  many  a  vein,  I  came 
across  a  number  of  drums,  stools,  and  other  specimens  of 
wood-work  which  the  natives  had  buried  in  the. mud,  in  order 
to  give  them  a  permanent  blackness.  This  too  is  the  way  in 
which  they  prepare  the  reeds  of  which  they  weave  their 
shields  and  matting.  The  process  of  rapid  superficial  humi- 
faction  which  takes  place  here,  is  to  be  attributed  doubtless 
to  the  temperature  being  so  much  higher  than  in  the  tem- 
perate zones,  where  a  corresponding  degree  of  decomposition 
would  be  the  work  of  years.  ^ 

Whilst  botanising  on  the  Assika  we  had  more  than  once 
been  taken  by  surprise  at  arrows  from  some  unknown  hand 
having  fallen  very  near  us.  To  bend  down  to  pluck  a  remark- 
able plant,  and  to  take  up  some  whistling  arrow  instead,  is 
not  a  common  experience,  even  in  Africa.  The  hostile  and 
defiant  attitude  of  the  natives  was  too  plainly  revealed  to  us, 
when  on  the  11th  of  March  the  elder  of  my  Niam-niam 
attendants,  Gyabir,  was  shot  in  the  muscle  of  his  arm. 
Shrieking  aloud  in  alarm  and  agony,  he  flung  down  my 
valuable  rifle,  and  betook  himself  to  flight.  So  dense  was  the 
thicket  that  I  knew  nothing  of  the  disaster  till  my  other 
attendants  came  running  up,  and  terror-stricken  began  to 
shout,  *'  They  are  coming !  they  are  coming !"  After  this  we 
hurried  back  to  the  camp.  I  was  very  deeply  concerned  at 
the  supposed  loss  of  my  breech-loader;  which  I  was  accustomed 
to  call  my  "  cook,"  so  serviceable  had  it  been  day  after  day, 
in  bringing  down  guinea-fowl  and  francolins  for  my  table. 
By  good  fortune,  however,  one  of  the  Bongo  folk  had  caught 
sight  of  the  weapon,  and  soon  brought  it  back  to  me  safe 
and  sound. 

Several  of  the  Bongo  bearers  had  also  returned  wounded 
more  or  less  by  these  insidious  arrows;  none  of  them  were 
very  severely  injured,  but  they  came  back  howling  in  alarm. 
Each  race  seemed  to  have  its  own  way  of  giving  vent  to 


534 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


expressions  of  woe.  The  Niam-niam  outcry  for  pain  that 
was  sudden,  was  a  sharp  "  Ow  !  ow !"  but  for  a  continued 
pain  it  consisted  of  a  prolonged  **Akonn!  akonn!"  The 
Bongo  cry  was  "Aoh  !  aoh  !"  —  that  of  the  Dyoor  was 
"Awai!  awai!"  For  suffering  of  every  degree  the  Mon- 
buttoo  seem  to  have  a  word  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  on 
every  occasion,  however  trivial,  for  a  mere  push  or  fall,  they 
will  break  out  into  a  long-drawn  wail  of  *'Nangway! 
nangway !" 

The  arrows  of  the  A-Banga  and  the  Monbnttoo  differ  from 
those  of  other  Isribes  by  being  provided  at  the  extremity  of 
the  shaft  with  two  wings,  which  are  made  either  of  hairs  from 
the  tail  of  the  genet,  or  quite  as  often  of  bits  of  plantain- 
leaves.  In  their  points  they  correspond  with  those  of  the 
Mittoo-Madi.  The  points  are  generally  iron,  but  occasionally 
they  are  made  of  wood  which  is  almost  as  hard  as  iron.  The 
shafts  consist  of  the  firm  reedy  steppe-grass,  and  are  of  about 
the  thickness  of  a  common  lead- pencil.  By  a  cruel  refinement 
of  skill  which  might  almost  be  styled  diabolical,  they  contrive 
to  place  one  of  the  joints  of  the  reed  just  below  the  barbs, 
with  the  design  that  the  arrow  should  break  off  short  as 
soon  as  it  has  inflicted  the  wound,  making  it  a  very  diffi- 
cult matter  to  extract  the  barbs  from  the  flesh.  The 
usual  method  of  extracting  a  lance-head  is  to  take  a  knife 
and  make  a  sufficiently  large  incision  in  the  wounded  muscle 
for  the  barbs  to  be  withdrawn;  but,  in  fact,  the  result 
generally  is  that  very  jagged  and  troublesome  wounds  are 
inflicted. 

No  little  excitement  was  stirred  up  in  our  encampment 
when  Gyabir  came  back  wounded.  I  set  to  work  and  ex- 
tracted the  arrow  by  breaking  qff  the  shaft,  and  drawing  the 
head  out  on  the  side  of  the  arm  opposite  to  that  at  which  it 
had  entered.  All  the  evening,  however,  I  was  too  much 
occupied  in  my  own  pursuits  to  have  time  to  devote  to  the 
consultations  of  the  Nubians.  As  night  was  drawing  on  there 


OUR  WOMEN  CAPTURED. 


535 


was  a  fresh  uproar,  and  the  shrieks  of  women  in  alarm 
revealed  that  some  Job's  post  of  evil  tidings  had  arrived. 
Three  female  slaves  had  gone  to  the  banks  of  the  Yuroo  to 
fetch  water  for  the  camp,  and  had  been  discovered  fatally 
wounded,  whilst  six  others  had  disappeared  and  had  evidently 
fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  A-Banga.  A  state  of  war  then 
was  manifestly  declared  ;  at  once  a  fresh  supply  of  cartridges 
was  distributed  to  the  soldiers,  the  sentinel-watches  were 
made  doubly  strong,  and  a  detachment  of  Farookh  was  told 
off  and  ordered  to  keep  vigilant  guard  all  night.  Water  for 
the  night  was  indispensable,  and  in  order  to  fetch  it  a  number 
of  women  went  down  to  the  water-side,  carrying  torches  in 
their  hands,  and  under  the  protection  of  a  strong  escort  who 
fired  frequent  shots  into  the  bushes. 

Mohammed  proceeded  on  the  following  morning  to  distri- 
bute his  force  into  several  companies,  and  as  soon  as  it  was 
daylight  sent  them  roaming  over  the  environs,  commissioned, 
if  possible,  to  obtain  some  hostages  that  might  be  exchanged 
for  the  missing  slaves.  They  found,  however,  that  all  the 
farmsteads  had  been  deserted  by  their  inhabitants,  and  with- 
out accomplishing  their  purpose  they  returned  to  the  camp. 
All  the  huts  and  the  plantain-groves  were  spared,  but  only 
provisionally.  In  the  event  of  a  thorough  rupture  the  natives 
in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  had  more  to  fear  than  the 
remoter  people  from  the  indiscriminate  revenge  of  the  Nubians, 
and  it  was  hoped  that  their  influence  would  avail  to  secure 
that  the  stolen  women  should  be  restored.  In  fact,  several  of 
the  local  chiefs  did  come  in  the  middle  of  the  day  for  the 
purpose  of  offering  some  explanation  to  Mohammed.  Mo- 
hammed made  them  clearly  imderstand  that  unless  by  night- 
fall the  captives  were  delivered  up  every  farm  and  every 
crop  in  the  district  should  stand  in  flames.  The  warning  had 
its  due  effect ;  the  restitution  was  promptly  made,  and  left  us 
free  and  contented  to  prepare  for  our  farther  progress  towards 
the  south. 

Vol.  I.— 37 


536 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


Ready  enough  we  were  next  morning  to  turn  our  backs 
upon  the  inhospitable  quarters,  and  to  postpone  a  regular 
warfare  until  the  date  of  our  return,  when  a  conflict  seemed 
inevitable,  and  we  should  have  but  a  hostile  reception  to 
expect.  The  Bongo  bearers  had  meanwhile  taken  good  care 
to  replenish  their  stock  of  provisions  by  laying  hands  on  every 
granary  they  could,  so  as  to  be  prepared  for  the  transit  over 
the  desert-country  which  lay  between  us  and  the  friendly 
territory  of  the  Monbuttoo.  We  first  passed  over  the  Yuroo, 
and  shortly  afterwards  we  crossed  two  other  steams  which 
flowed  into  it,  each  full  of  water  and  with  well-wooded  banks. 
After  marching  on  for  about  two  hours  till  we  had  passed  the 
last  cultivated  fields  of  the  A-Banga,  we  arrived  at  a  rivulet 
which  watered  an  open  steppe,  and  finding  some  detached 
and  spreading  fig-trees,  we  made  a  halt  and  took  our  morning 
meal.  A  very  obvious  sinking  of  the  land  had  ensued  since 
our  passage  over  the  previous  streams,  the  surface  of  the  soil 
around  being  once  more  marked  by  undulations. 

Onward  for  two  leagues  we  went  over  a  level  steppe  which 
was  all  but  void  of  trees,  occasionally  passing  over  some 
sandy  eminences  which  had  all  the  appearance  of  being  the 
remnants  of  gneiss  rocks  decomposed  by  the  lapse  of  time. 
Comparatively  a  short  period  will  suffice  to  obliterate  these 
remnants  of  rock  as  the  formation  of  the  superficial  iron-stone 
goes  on.  Altogether  the  region  through  which  we  were 
passing  now  presented  an  aspect  very  different  from  the  land 
we  were  leaving  behind,  which  had  been  very  profusely  in- 
tersected by  a  very  network  of  intricate  watercourses  all 
bounded  by  abundant  woods.  Here  the  streams  all  irregular 
and  undefined,  twisted  their  ambiguous  way  through  marshy 
meadows,  their  banks  being  totally  destitute  of  woods ; 
some  occasional  clumps  of  Scitaminea  being' the  only  plants 
to  be  seen.  They  had  to  be  crossed  as  best  we  could  at  the 
spots  where  the  herds  of  buffaloes  had  trodden  down  the 
slime  into  something  of  solidity;  but  the  black  water  was 


A  STORM.  537 

frequently  as  high  as  our  necks,  whilst  the  mud  beneath  our 
feet  seemed  to  have  no  bottom.  Numerous  large  frogs  and 
a  quantity  of  land  crabs  {Teljphusa  Aubryi)  were  wallowing 
in  the  half-dry  pools  on  the  banks. 

Especial  precaution  had  to  be  taken  here  to  protect  the 
baggage  and  to  convey  it  across  the  swamps  without  injury. 
We  had  successfully  accomplished  the  passage  of  two  of  these 
difficult  fords,  when  the  tokens  of  a  gathering  storm  made  us 
halt  for  the  night  upon  the  banks  of  a  third  before  we  could 
venture  to  proceed.  As  expeditiously  as  possible  a  tent  was 
erected,  into  which  as  much  baggage  was  stowed  as  it  could 
contain,  but  it  was  far  from  being  spacious  enough  to  shelter 
the  whole,  so  that  for  the  greater  part  of  the  night  the 
Nubians  had  to  protect  it  by  piling  over  it  great  ricks  of 
grass.  An  entire  deficiency  of  wood  made  it  impossible  to 
extemporise  either  huts  or  sheds.  The  tumultuous  confusion, 
the  shouting  and  the  running,  the  rescuing  here,  the  escaping 
there,  and  all  amidst  the  crashing  thunder  of  the  tropics,  and 
in  a  torrent  of  rain  that  fell  as  though  the  very  sluices  of  the 
sky  were  open,  conspired  to  form  a  study  from  w^hich  a  painter 
might  conceive  a  picture  of  the  Deluge.  The  meadow-stream 
by  which  we  were  compelled  to  pass  this  luckless  night  had 
a  direction  that  was  easterly,  and  therefore  contrary  to  that 
of  the  rivers  we  had  previously  passed  ;  it  flowed  to  join  the 
Kahpily  which  may  be  described  as  a  river  of  the  second 
magnitude,  and  which  unites  its  dashing  flood  with  the  more 
northerly  of  the  two  sources  of  the  Welle,  the  Keebaly  and 
the  Gadda. 

Frightfully  hungry  after  the  disturbed  vigil  of  the  night, 
but  yet  still  fasting,  we  proceeded  at  dawn  to  take  the  mud- 
bath  which  crossing  the  stream  involved.  Some  Bongo  who 
were  adepts  in  swimming  had  to  go  in  front,  and  convey  great 
masses  of  grass  and  Phrynia,  which  they  let  down  in  the 
deepest  parts  'so  as  to  cover  the  sinking  bottom.  Going  on 
in  the  same  southerly  direction  as  on  the  day  before,  we  passed 


538 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


along  the  sunken  ground,  and  after  a  while  came  to  a  brook 
which  once  again  was  shaded  by  luxuriant  gallery-woods. 
The  path  that  led  through  the  thickets  down  to  the  main 
arm  of  the  stream  had  been  for  so  many  feet  encroached 
upon  by  the  water,  which  rose  high  in  consequence  of  its 
contracted  channel,  that  the  only  means  of  progress  was  either 
along  the  unstable  trunks  of  fallen  trees,  or  through  puddles 
in  which  it  was  hard  to  preserve  one's  equilibrium.  The 
narrow  rift  was  cut  out  from  the  entanglement  of  foliage, 
creepers,  roots,  and  branches,  as  neatly  and  smoothly  as 
though  it  had  been  trimmed  by  a  knife. 

Never  before  had  I  seen  such  wonderful  masses  of  lichens, 
of  which  the  long  grey  garlands  hung  down  in  striking  con- 
trast to  the  deep  green  of  the  foliage  above.    Just  like  the 


I'la  tycerium  Elephantotis,  Schweinf.   One-eighth  of  natural  size. 

"  barba  espanola  "  of  the  forests  of  the  Missisippi,  a  gigantic 
form  of  our  Usnea  florida  here  adorned  every  tree.    But  a 


BEACHING  THE  MONBUTTOO  FRONTIER. 


539 


decoration  stranger  than  all  was  afforded  by  tlie  Platycerium, 
which  projected  in  couples,  like  elephant's  ears,  from  the 
branches  of  the  trees ;  it  is  one  of  the  most  characteristic  of 
all  the  gallery-flora  of  the  region.  Another  species  of  the 
genus  which  I  had  observed  in  other  parts,  the  Platycerium 
stemmaria,  with  its  bifurcate  leaves,  here  too  finds  a  conspi- 
cuous place. 

In  these  ancient  woods,  however,  there  is  nothing  that  could 
more  attract  the  attention  of  the  naturalist  than  the  wonders 
of  the  world  of  white  ants.  So  assiduous  are  they  in  their  in- 
dustry and  so  inexplicable  in  their  work,  that  their  proceedings 
might  well-nigh  tempt  a  scientific  student  to  take  up  his 
permanent  abode  near  their  haunts.  They  construct  their 
nests  in  a  shape  not  dissimilar  to  wine-casks,  out  of  thousands 
and  thousands  of  leaves,  which  they  cement  together  with  a 
slimy  clay,  using  a  strong  bough  for  the  axis  of  the  whole,  so 
that  the  entire  fabric  is  suspended  at  a  giddy  height. 

This  species  of  white  ant  (Termes  arborum)  had  been  already 
observed  by  Smeathman  in  Western  Africa.  They  partition 
their  buildings  by  means  of  wood-shavings  and  bits  of  bark, 
and  in  the  same  way  as  the  forest-ants  they  make  several 
stories,  and  set  apart  nurseries  and  chambers  for  the  young. 

Just  as  the  bottle-gourd  of  the  primeval  wilderness  offered 
to  a  primitive  people  the  first  models  for  their  earthenware, 
so  have  the  structures  which  the  ants  contrive  from  leaves 
furnished  the  natives  of  Central  Africa  with  the  general 
design  of  all  their  basket-work.  Already  I  have  referred  to 
the  corn-baskets  of  the  Bongo  as  one  of  the  earliest  illus- 
trations of  the  fact  that  their  weaving  is  but  a  faithful  copy 
of  the  building  of  the  ants. 

Coming  next  to  a  tract  of  bushwopd,  and  then  crossing  two 
more  galleries,  on  which  was  displayed  all  the  wild  beauty  of 
the  virgin  forest,  we  arrived  about  midday  at  the  stream 
which  marks  the  boundary  of  the  kingdom  to  which  we  were 
directing  our  way.    The  passage  across  this  river  occupied  us 


540 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


more  than  half-an-hour,  so  intricate  was  the  labyrinth  of  the 
uprooted  trees  over  wjiich  it  was  necessary  to  clamber ;  and 
the  way  was  made  still  more  difficult  by  the  thorny  inter- 
lacings  of  the  Smilax  'and  the  obstructive  jungles  of  the 
Kotang. 

"Whether  open  by  chance  or  cleared  by  human  hands,  it 
was  hard  to  determine,  but  there  were  spaces  in  the  gallery- 
woods  which  were  comparatively  void  of  trees  ;  over ,  these 
was  spread  an  abundant  growth  of  plantains,  which  had  a 
look  most  perfectly  in  harmony  with  the  primitive  wilder- 
ness around.  Only  on  the  fallen  trees  was  it  possible  to 
effect  a  passage  amidst  the  confusion  of  the  many  channels ; 
for  the  network  of  the  drooping  creepers  baffled  every  attempt 
to  swim.  At  length,  however,  all  was  accomplished,  and 
we  were  greeted  by  a  view  of  the  hospitable  home  of  the 
Monbuttoo. 

After  taking  some  brief  repose  on  the  frontier  of  the  new 
country,  followed  by  troops  of  men  and  women,  we  proceeded 
to  the  residence  of  Nembey,  a  local  chieftain  under  King 
Degberra,  who  governs  the  eastern  half  of  the  Monbuttoo, 
whilst  the  western  portion  belongs  to  Munza,  a  sovereign 
who  rules  with  a  still  more  powerful  sway.  The  abode  ol 
Nembey  was  situated  on  a  rivulet  called  the  Kussumbo, 
which  rolls  on  its  crystal  waters  in  a  deeply-hollowed  channel 
to  join  the  Kahpily.  Crossing  the  stream,  we  encamped  upon 
some  slightly  undulated,  ground,  encompassed  by  low  bushes, 
where  we  erected  some  grass-huts  that  should  be  perfectly 
rain-proof.  Immediately  upon  our  arrival,  Nembey,  accom- 
panied by  a  number  of  his  wives,  paid  me  a  visit  in  my  tent, 
and  brought  me  a  present  of  poultry. 

Mohammed  Aboo  Sammat  was  an  old  friend  and  ally  of 
the  western  king  Munza,  who  was  never  otherwise  than 
upon  a  footing  of  war  with  his  neighbour  and  rival  Degberra. 
Little  therefore  could  Mohammed  have  expected  in  the  way 
of  welcome  or  hospitable  reception  from  the' king  of  the 


AN  ALARM. 


541 


Eastern  Monbuttoo,  if  it  had  not  chanced  that  his  subordinate 
officer  had  discovered  the  advantageous  ivory  trade  which 
might  be  opened  with  the  strangers.  This  is  the  explanation 
which  may  be  offered  of  the  courtesy  of  our  reception,  and 
which  accounts  for  the  neighbourhood  all  round  being  free 
from  any  peril  as  far  as  we  were  concerned. 

The  woods  on  the  Kussumbo  I  found  to  be  an  inexhaustible 
source  of  botanical  treasure.  Conspicuous  amongst  many 
other  examples  of  the  characteristic  vegetation  were  the 
Raphia,  the  Elais,  the  bread-fruit  or  Artocarpus,  and  a  species 
of  Trumpet-tree  {Gecroj^ia)  which  was  the  first  representa- 
tive of  the  American  genus  that  I  had  found  in  the  continent 
of  Africa.  The  oil-palm  {Elais)  is  here  at  the  extreme 
northern  limit  to  which  cultivation  has  ever  transferred  it, 
as  it  is  still  utterly  unknown  in  all  the  districts  of  the  Nile. 
Not  until  we  crossed  the  Welle  did  we  find  it  planted  out 
in  groves,  and  to  judge  from  appearances  it  had  only  been 
planted  even  there  for  purposes  of  experiment. 

Upon  the  day  following  our  arrival  at  tl^e  residence  of 
Nembey,  I  ventured  out  without  any  apprehension  of  harm 
into  the  semi-cultivated  plantain-grounds  vvhich  ran  for 
some  miles  along  the  river-banks,  passing  as  I  went  a  long 
series  of  farms  and  fields  that  were  under  tillage,  every- 
where observing  the  women  and  children  sitting  in  front  of 
their  neatly-kept  huts  and  attending  to  their  household  duties. 

The  sun  was  just  sinking  on  the  horizon,  and  we  were  still 
enveloped  in  the  thickets  shrouded  in  masses  of  manioc  and 
plantains,  when  the  report  of  firearms,  volley  after  volley, 
coming  from  the  camp,  took  us  by  surprise,  and  induced  us 
without  delay  to  hurry  back ;  such  repeated  discharges,  we 
could  not  help  suspecting,  must  too  surely  betoken  some 
aggression  on  the  part  of  the  natives.  We  loaded  our  pieces, 
and  trying  to  follow  the  direction  of  the  sound,  we  started  off 
on  our  return,  but  for  a  time  we  wandered  vaguely  about, 
hardly  knowing  how  to  get  free  of  the  plantations ;  we  at 


542 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


length  managed  to  reach  the  villages,  from  which  the  way 
was  quite  direct.  Together  with  ourselves  streamed  on  a 
crowd  of  the  residents,  who  came  hurrying  out,  equipped 
with  their  shields  and  lances.,  or  with  .their  bows  and  arrows. 
As  we  approached  the  farms  we  heard  the  beating  of  the 
signal  drums,  and  everywhere  at  the  doors  of  the  huts  we 
saw  the  women  and  children,  all  eagerly  bringing  from  the 
interior  the  necessary  arms  for  their  husbands  and  fathers, 
who  were  waiting  impatiently  without.  Not  knowing  whether 
we  were  friends  or  foes,  we  pushed  on  all*  together  along  the 
road.  Helpless  enough  1  felt  myself,  as  burdened  with  my 
heavy  boots  I  tottered  over  the  smooth  tree-trunks  which  had 
been  thrown  across  the  depth  of  the  Kussumbo ;  behind  and 
before  were  the  excited  people,  equipped  with  arms,  as  frantic 
as  wild  Indians,  and  very  naturally  the  thought  rose  to  my 
mind,  how  completely,  if  they  chose,  I  was  within  their 
power. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  get  through  the  woodlands,  and 
then  again  we  were  out  upon  the  open.  One  glance  at 
the  camps  before  us  revealed  the  mystery :  the  Nubians 
with  their  swarthy  troops  of  bearers  had  been  doubled  in 
number  by  the  arrival  of  another  company  of  merchant- 
people  from  Khartoom,  and  in  honour  of  the  meeting  the 
usual  salvoes  had  been  fired.  The  new  comers  were 
the  party  belonging  to  Tuhamy,  who  was  an  upper  secretary 
in  the  divan  of  the  Governor-General,  by  whose  authority  I 
was  empowered  to  claim  the  hospitality  of  all  the  Seribas. 
To  Jlohammed's  soldiers  the  unlooked-for  arrival  of  a  number 
of  their  countrymen  was  a  welcome  occurrence  which  they 
celebrated  as  a  holiday;  but  to  Mohammed  himself  the 
chance  meeting  was  a  vexation,  from  which  ultimately,  as  he 
foresaw,  various  unpleasantnesses  arose.  The  territories  of 
Tuhamy's  people  were  situated  on  the  lower  Rohl,  their  head 
Seriba  being  at  a  spot  named  Ron ga,  where  they  had  been 
establishe;!  some  years  previously  by  the  French  adventurer, 


VISIT  TO  BONGWA.  543 

Malzac.  They  had  come  direct  by  the  way  through  .the 
districts  of  the  Mittoo  and  the  Madi ;  and  at  the  Diamvorioo, 
(where  I  had  made  so  large  a  collection  of  the  skulls  of  the 
chimpanzees)  they  had  had  such  a  vigorous  conflict  with 
the  Niam-niam  that  for  two  days  they  were  obliged  to 
defend  themselves  behind  an  extemporised  abattis  against 
the  hostilities  of  Wando,  and  had  not  escaped  without 
some  loss  of  life  on  their  side.  Suspecting  no  mischief, 
they  had  arrived  at  the  place  just  at  the  moment  that 
our  caravan  had  hurried  away  to  escape  the  general  con- 
flict that  seemed  imminent,  and  accordingly  they  had 
found  the  natives  all  up  in  arms  and  ready  for  immediate 
action. 

At  midnight  a  heavy  rain  set  in,  which  lasted  till  the 
morning;  and  in  the  uncertainty  as  to  what  the  weather 
would  be,  our  departure  was  delayed  long  beyond  the 
ordinary  hour,  and  we  were  even  at  last  obliged  to  start  in 
a  thick  and  drizzling  mist.  In  spite  of  the  wet,  Tuhamy's 
party  had  gone  on  in  the  early  morning.  We  were  all 
anxious  about  keeping  our  powder  dry;  but,  for  my  part, 
I  must  own  I  was  more  concerned  for  the  safety  of  my  col- 
lection, which  had  been  gathered  and  preserved  with  so 
much  trouble.  A  halt  was  made  for  an  hour  in  one  of  the 
farmsteads  on  our  way,  and  the  large  open  sheds  belonging 
to  the  local  superintendent  were  of  infinite  service  in  pro- 
viding immediate  shelter  for  the  baggage.  Our  route  crossed 
four  streams,  all  flowing  to  the  south,  after  which  we  arrived  • 
at  the  Mazoroody,  on  the  banks  of  which  the  line  of  farms 
belonging  to  Bongwa  extended  a  considerable  way.  Bongwa 
was  a  chieftain  subject  to  pay  tribute  equally  to  Munza  and 
to  Degberra,  as  his  possessions  were  contiguous  to  those  of 
both  these  rival  kings.  We  crossed  the  river,  which  was 
approached  by  an  extensive  steppe,  which  terminated  in  a 
declivity  that  led  us  downwards  for  well-nigh  200  feet,  and 
then  halting,  we  proceeded  to  erect  our  camp  by  constructing 


544 


THE  HEART  OF  AFEICA. 


a  number  of  huts  in  the  best  way  we  could  out  of  the  masses 
of  sodden  grass. 

Accompanied  by  his  wife,  Bongwa  paid  us  a  visit  in  camp, 
and  allowed  me  the  unusual  honour  of  taking  a  sketch  both 
of  himself  and  of  his  better  half.  The  old  lady  took  her 
seat  upon  a  Monbattoo  bench,  wearing  nothing  else  than  the 
singular  band,  like  a  saddle-girth,  across  her  lap,  in  the 
general  fashion  of  all  the  women  of  the  country.  Like  nearly 
all  her  race,  she  had  a  skin  several  shades  lighter  than 
her  husband's,  being  something  of  the  colour  of  half-roasted 


Bongwa's  Wife. 

coffee.  She  exhibited  a  singular  tattooing,  which  appeared 
to  consist  of  two  distinct  characters.  One  of  these  ran  in 
lines  over  the  shoulders  and  bosom,  just  where  our  own  ladies 
wear  their  lace  collars ;  it  was  apparently  made  of  a  number 
of  points  pricked  in  with  a  needle,  and  forming  a  pattern 
terminating  on  the  shoulders  and  breast  in  large  crosses. 
The  other  was  a  pattern  traced  oyer  the  whole .  stomach, 


BONaWA'S  WIFE. 


645 


standing  out  in  such  relief  that  I  presume  it  must  have  been 
done  by  a  hot  iron;  it  consisted  of  figures  set  in  square 
frames,  and  looked  somewhat  like  the  tracery  which  is  sculp- 
tured on  cornices  and  old  arches.  Bodkins  of  ivory  pro- 
jected from  her  towering  chignon,  which  was  surmounted  by 
a  plate  as  large  as  a  dollar,  fastened  on  by  a  comb  with  five 
teeth  manufactured  of  porcupine-quills. 

Since  Madame  Bongwa  only  intended  to  pay  me  a  short 
visit,  she  did  not  appear  en  grande  tenue  ;  the  picture,  there- 
fore, necessarily  failed  in  the  black  figures  which,  for  full 
dress,  were  painted  on  her  ample  flanks,  and  which  would 
have  given  a  double  interest  to  the  likeness.  As  a  token  of 
my  recognition  of  the  steadiness  with  which  she  sat  during 
my  artistic  labours,  I  permitted  her  (and  this  was  the  greatest 
privilege  I  could  afford  any  of  the  natives)  to  put  her  fingers 
through  my  hair,  which  to  her  eye  was  so  astonishingly  long 
and  sleek. 

The  first  hours  of  the  following  morning  were  spent  in 
making  purchases  from  the  natives  of  a  supply  of  yams  and 
sweet-potatoes;  the  day,  consequently,  was  somewhat  ad- 
vanced before  we  could  make  a  start.  The  strips  of  grass- 
land, void  of  trees,  into  which  the  numerous  rivulets  parcel 
out  the  district,  were  here  peculiarly  narrow ;  in  the  course 
of  a  single  league  we  passed  over  no  less  than  three  different 
streams,  and  then  came  to  another,  the  Bumba,  which  we 
had  to  go  over  twice.  Whenever  we  came  to  thickets,  the 
Raphia  or  wine-palm  was  sure  to  be  prominent,  and  put 
every  other  plant  into  the  shade.  Its  noble  branches  are 
used  by  the  Monbuttoo  for  making  their  stools  and  the  seats 
which  they  erect  upon  the  roofs  of  their  huts. 

A  very  populous  district  was  soon  reached,  known  as  the 
district  of  Eddeedy,  who  being  within  Munza's  kingdom  was 
tributary  to  Izingerria,  Munza's  viceroy  and  brother.  At  this 
spot  we  came  again  into  contact  with  the  party  of  Tuhamy, 
which  had  encamped  upon  the  river  Bumba.    We  had  for  so 


546 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


long  been  unaccustomed  to  the  sight  that  the  prospect  of 
grazing  cattle  came  upon  us  almost  as  a  surprise.  At  first 
we  were  under  the  impression  that  Tuhamy's  people  must 
have  brought  the  oxen  with  them ;  but  the  manifest  devia- 
tion of  the  beasts  from  the  Dinka  type  set  us  to  inquire 
whence  they  had  really  come.  They  were  of  a  thicker  and 
shorter  build  than  those  we  had  seen,  having  a  different 
formation  of  the  skull  and  very  prominent  humps.  We  were 
informed  that  they  had  been  a  present  from  King  Munza 
to  Eddeedy.  Munza  himself  had  some  years  previously  re- 
ceived a  large  herd  of  them  from  the  powerful  ruler  of  some 
people  in  the  south-east,  with  whom  he  had  concluded  an 
amicable  alliance.  The  tribe  who  were  thus  referred  to 
were  called  by  my  interpreter  the  Maogoo,  and  I  imagined 
that  through  this  word  I  could  get  some  perception  of  what 
Sir  Samuel  Baker  meant  when  he  spoke  of  the  land  beyond 
Lake  Mwootan  as  Ulegga,  and  its  inhabitants  as  the  Malegga. 

Taking  now  a  more  southerly  direction,  the  road  led  us 
over  three  different  streams,  which  flowed  to  the  west  to  join 
the  Bumba.  On  the  fourth  stream  from  the  Bumba  was 
situated  the  mbanga  of  Izingerria.  It  was  somewhat  late  in 
the  afternoon  before  we  made  our  imposing  entrance,  and 
then  we  found  both  sides  of  the  roadway  lined  with  crowds 
of  astonished  folks  who  had  come  to  gaze  at  our  troop.  The 
officials  appeared  in  full  state,  their  hats  adorned  with  waving 
plumes  :  they  had  come  attended  by  their  sliield-bearers,  and 
had  ordered  their  indispensable  benches  to  be  brought  with 
them,  that  they  might  receive  us  at  their  ease  and  observe 
the  unusual  spectacle  we  presented  with  as  much  convenience 
as  possible. 

We  took  up  our  encampment  on  the  steppe  just  beyond 
the  stream  which  divided  us  from  the  circle  of  huts,  which 
was  arranged  around  an  open  area,  and  allotted  to  the  wives 
and  soldiers  of  the  prince.  The  plots  that  had  been  cleared 
near  the  little  river  were  for  the  most  part  planted  with 


df  the 
^Mlv«nlty  of  lilWM>is 


A  VISIT  TO  IZINGEREIA. 


547 


sugar-canes.  The  canes  grew  to  the  size  of  a  man's  arm,  but 
I  think  they  were  generally  very  woody  and  less  soft  in 
their  texture  than  those  which  grew  in  Egypt.  Except  for 
chewing,  the  natives  seem  to  have  no  object  in  growing  them, 
and  apparently  have  no  notion  of  expressing  or  boiling  the 
sap,  for  otherwise  they  would  not  have  been  so  surprised  as 
they  were  at  the  bits  of  loaf-sugar  which  we  gave  them  by 
way  of  putting  their  experience  to  the  test.  The  plants 
thrive  very  well  in  the  plantations,  which  are  amply  irri- 
gated by  the  numerous  ducts  of  the  various  streams,  and, 
indeed,  they  grow  in  a  half-wild  condition.  Had  the  natives 
only  a  better  disposition  for  industry  and  a  freer  scope  for 
traffic,  there  is  no  estimating  what  might  be  the  value  of  the 
production  which  is  here  so  bountifully  bestowed. 

In  company  with  Mohammed  I  visited  Izingerria  in  his 
dwelling  in  the  later  hours  of  the  evening,  and  found  him 
sitting  on  his  bench  in  the  open  space,  surrounded  by  about 
a  dozen  of  his  satraps.  Having  been  made  acquainted  with 
the  custom  of  the  country  that  all  officials,  all  heads  of 
families,  and  indeed  all  persons  of  any  distinction,  whenever 
they  pay  a  visit,  take  with  them  their  slaves  to  carry  their 
benches,  because  it  is  considered  unseemly  to  sit,  like  Turks 
or  Arabs,  upon  the  ground,  I  gave  orders  that  some  of  my 
people  should,  on  these  occasions,  invariably  accompany  me 
and  carry  my  cane  chair.  We  took  our  seats  opposite  Izin- 
gerria, and  by  the  assistance  of  one  of  the  natives,  who  could 
talk  to  my  Niam-niam  interpreter,  I  contrived  to  keep  up, 
in  spite  of  the  labour  of  a  double  translation,  some  mutual 
interchange  of  thought  till  the  night  was  far  advanced.  Of 
hospitable  entertainment  there  was  not  a  word ;  perhaps  it 
was  considered  inconsistent  with  the  dignity  of  a  formal  inter- 
view, but  there  was  not  even  the  offer  of  the  usual  eleusine 
beer.  The  consumption  of  tobacco,  however,  was  quite  unre- 
strained. I  could  not  help  observing-,  without  being  quite 
able  to  account  for  the  circumstance,  that  my  cigars  did  not 


•548 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


in  the  least  appear  to  attract  any  notice  on  the  part  of  the 
natives,  although  they  were  accustomed  to  smoke  their 
tobacco  exclusively  through  pipes,  and  were  as  entirely  un- 
acquainted either  with  the  habits  of  chewing  tobacco  or  of 
taking  snuff  as  any  other  of  the  African  negroes  who  have 
not  been  contaminated  in  these  respects  by  intercourse  with 
Mohammedans  and  Christians. 

The  Monbuttoo  use  pipes  of  a  primitive,  but  really  of  a 
very  serviceable  description,  which  they  make  from  the 
mid-rib  of  a  plantain-leaf  The  upper  classes,  however,  not 
unfrequently  have  a  metal  tube,  some  five  feet  long,  made 
by  their  smiths.  The  lower  extremity  of  the  pipe  is  plugged 
up,  and  an  opening  is  made  in  the  side  near  the  end,  into 
which  is  inserted  a  plantain-leaf,  twisted  up  and  filled  with 
tobacco.  This  extemporised  bowl  is  changed  as  often  as 
requisite,  sometimes  every  few  minutes,  by  the  slaves  who 
are  kept  in  attendance.  The  only  tobacco  which  is  known 
here  is  the  Virginian  (N.  tahacum,  L.).  With  much  relish 
I  smoked  a  pipe  of  this  construction,  which  was  altogether 
a  novelty  to  me,  and  I  found  that  it  was  a  contrivance  that 
modified  the  rankness  of  the  tobacco  almost  as  perfectly 
as  if  it  had  been  inhaled  through  the  water-reservoir  of  a 
narghileh. 

At  length  the  attainment  of  my  cherished  hopes  seemed 
close  at  hand.  The  prospect  was  held  out  that  on  the  19th 
of  March  we  might  expect  to  arrive  at  the  Welle.  The  way 
to  the  river  led  us  due  south,  and  we  went  onwards  through 
almost  uninterrupted  groves  of  plantains,  from  which  the 
huts,  constructed  of  bark  and  rotang  very  skilfully  sewn 
together,  ever  and  again  peeped  out.  A  march  of  scarcely 
two  leagues  brought  us  to  the  bank  of  the  noble  river,  which 
rolled  its  deep  dark  flood  majestically  to  the  west,  in  its 
general  aspect  suggesting  a  resemblance  to  the  Blue  Nile. 
For  me  it  was  a  thrilling  moment  that  can  never  fade  from 
my  memory.    My  sensations  must  have  been  like  Mungo 


THE  WEI.LE. 


549 


Park's  on  the  20th  of  July,  1796,  when  for  the  first  time  he 
planted  his  foot  upon  the  shore  of  the  mysterious  Niger, 
and  answered  once  for  all  the  great  geographical  question  of 
his  day — as  to  whether  its  waters  ^rolled  to  the  east  or  to 
the  west. 

Here,  then,  I  was  upon  tlie  very  bank  of  the  river,  attesting 
the  western  flow  of  the  water,  about  which  the  contradictions 
and  inconsistencies  of  the  Nubians  had  kept  up  my  unflagging 
interest  ever  since  we  set  out  from  Khartoom.  Whoever  has 
any  acquaintance  with  the  indistinctness  that  ever  attaches  to 
the  statements  of  those  who  would  attempt  to  describe  in  Arabic 
the  up-current  or  the  down-current  of  a  river  will  readily 
comprehend  the  eagerness  with  which  I  yearned  to  catch  the 
first  glance  of  the  waters  of  which  the  rippling  sound,  as  they 
washed  their  stony  banks,  came  through  the  bushes  to  my 
strained  and  listening  ear.  If  the  river  should  flow  to  the  east, 
why  then  it  solved  the  problem,  hitherto  inexplicable,  of  the 
fulness  of  the  water  in  Lake  Mwootan ;  but  if,  as  was  far  more 
likely,  it  should  go  towards  the  west,  then  beyond  a  doubt  it 
was  independent  altogether  of  the  Nile  system.  A  moment 
more,  and  the  question  was  set  at  rest.  Westerly  was  the 
direction  of  the  stream,  which  consequently  did  not  belong 
to  the  Nile  at  all ;  it  was  in  all  likelihood  not  less  than  180 
miles  distant  from  the  most  western  coast  of  Lake  Mwootan, 
and  at  the  numerous  rapids  which  are  formed  in  its  upper 
course  it  rises  almost  to  the  level  of  the  lake,  even  if  it  does 
not  attain  a  still  higher  altitude.* 

Very  similar  as  I  have  said  it  looked  in  some  respects  to 
the  Blue  Nile  at  Khartoom,  the  Welle  had  here  a  breadth  of 
800  feet,  and  at  this  period  of  the  year,  when  its  waters  were 
at  their  lowest,  it  had  a  depth  varying  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
feet.  The  banks,  like  the  "  guefs  "  of  the  Nile,  rose  about 
twenty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  stream,  and  appeared  to 


*  The  measurements  are  given  in  the  sketch-map  iu  Vol.  11. 

Vol.  L— 38 


550 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


consist  almost  exclusively  of  alluvial  clay  and  some  layers 
of  blended  sand  and  mica ;  but  as  far  as  I  could  investigate 
the  exposed  face  of  the  river-wall,  I  could  see  neither  pebbles 
nor  drift,  and  only  occasionally  were  the  scanty  remains  of 
shells  to  be  detected. 

Here,  as  well  as  on  the  upper  part  of  the  main  stream, 
named  the  Keebaly,  which  we  subsequently  crossed,  no 
inundation  of  the  country  seems  ever  to  occur,  although  the 
land  sank  with  rather  a  sudden  fall  for  100  feet  down  to  the 
wood-encircled  bank  of  the  river. 

There  was  nothing  remarkable  about  the  rate  at  which  the 
water  flowed  :  on  the  northern  bank  it  passed  at  about  fifty- 
five  or  sixty  feet  a  minute  ;  so  that  the  volume  of  water  that 
rolled  by  would  be  about  10,000  cubic  feet  a  second ;  but  sup- 
posing the  rate  of  the  stream  to  be  invariable,  this  volume 
would  be  nearly  doubled  at  the  season  when  the  river  was  at 
its  fullest  height.  The  Welle  is  formed  about  twelve  miles 
above  this  spot  by  the  union  of  the  Gadda  and  the  Keebaly. 
About  three  weeks  later  (on  the  13th  of  April)  the  Gadda 
was  about  155  feet  wide  and  two  to  three  feet  deep,  whilst  the 
Keebaly,  which  is  the  main  stream,  was  325  wide  and  at  least 
twelve  feet  deep.  Of  the  two  streams  just  above  the  junc- 
tion, the  rate  of  flow  was  fifty-seven  feet  and  seventy-five 
feet  respectively.  Fourteen  miles  above  its  point  of  con- 
fluence with  the  Gadda,  the  Keebaly  forms  a  series  of  rapids 
flowing  over  innumerable  crags  of  gneiss,  making  a  labyrinth 
of  little  islands  which  are  known  as  Kissangah,  and  which 
part  the  stream  into  many  minor  channels  that  after  they  are 
re-united  reach  across  in  a  distance  of  1000  to  1200  feet  from 
shore  to  shore. 

I  made  all  the  inquiries  I  possibly  could  about  the  condi- 
tion and  fluctuations  of  the  river  from  the  interpreters  who 
were  attached  to  the  expedition,  and  ascertained  that  the 
water  was  actually  at  this  date  at  its  lowest  level.  The  first 
indication  that  I  h.i\d  of  any  rise  or  increase  in  the  stream 


THE  WELLE. 


551 


was  when  I  crossed  it  again  a  little  higher  up.  to\^ards  the 
east,  in  the  middle  of  April ;  and  to  judge  from  what  was 
pointed  out  to  me  then  on  the  river-banks,  I  should  conjec- 
ture that  the  period  of  the  highest  water  would  be  about  two 
months  later. 

The  Welle  had  all  the  tokens  of  being  a  mountain  streanj 
of  which  the  source  was  at  no  remote  distance,  and  to  a  cer- 
tainty was  not  in  a  latitude  much  to  the  south  of  that  of  the 
spot  where  we  were  crossing.  The  colour  of  the  flood  at  this 
time  of  the  year  corresponded  very  remarkably  with  the 
cloudy  waters  of  the  Bahr-el-Azrek,  and  it  is  probable  that 
when  it  is  at  its  height  it  has  that  look  of  coiBfee-and-milk 
which  the  river  presents  at  Khartoom.  Moreover,  there  is 
an  additional  proof  indicating  that  the  river  has  its  origin 
in  some  mountain  region  at  no  great  distance,  which  is  fur- 
nished by  the  fact  of  so  many  considerable  streams  (such  as 
the  Keebaly,  the  Gadda,  the  Kahpilly,  the  Nomayo,  and  the 
Nalobey)  all  having  their  channels  uniting  in  what  is  com- 
paratively a  very  limited  area.  The  result  of  all  my  varied 
inquiries  seemed  to  demonstrate  most  satisfactorily  that  to 
the  south-west  of  Munza's  residence  the  land  takes  a  decided 
rise ;  and  the  existence  of  certain  detached  groups  of  hills, 
which  according  to  the  declarations  of  the  natives  are  at  no 
very  great  distance,  serves  to  confirm  my  belief  as  to  the 
orographical  character  of  the  country.  The  hills  and  isolated 
mountains  to  which  I  refer  would  be,  I  imagine,  none  other 
than  the  western  fringe  of  the  "Blue  Mountains,"  which 
Baker  observed  from  the  farther  side  of  Lake  Mwootan  (the 
Albert  Nyanza),  and  of  which  (as  he  saw  them  on  the  north- 
western confines  of  the  lake),  he  reckoned  that  the  height 
must  be  8000  feet. 

From  this  spot  also  the  position  of  the  abodes  of  the  tribe 
of  the  Maogoo  was  pointed  out  to  me,  and  it  lay  between  the 
S.E.  and  E.S.E.  It  was  to  me  a  very  remarkable  thing  how 
accurately  the  natives  of  Africa,  by  ihe  indication  of  the 


552 


THE  HEART  OF  AFRICA. 


finger,  would  point  to  any  particular  locality ;  they  were  also 
equally  skilful  in  telling  the  hour  of  the  day  by  the  height 
of  the  sun,  and  I  rarely  detected  an  error  of  much  more  than 
half  an  hour  in  their  representations.  In  wide  open  plains 
like  the  deserts  of  Nubia,  where  the  journeys  are  made  for 
many  miles  consecutively  without  the  least  variation  in  direc- 
tion, the  precision  of  their  estimate  reaches  such  singular 
correctness,  that  if  a  lance  is  laid  upon  the  ground  the  path 
to  which  it  points  will  lead,  with  scarcely  a  hair's-breadth 
deviation,  to  the  destination  required,  and  the  road  thus 
indicated  will  accord  perfectly  with  any  direct  route  that 
may  be  marked  upon  the  map.  Many  years  ago  Bruce  of 
Kinnaird  alluded  to  a  circumstance  of  this  kind  in  his  travels 
through  the  Nubian  desert ;  and  during  my  wanderings  be- 
tween the  Nile  and  the  Ked  Sea  I  had  various  opportunities 
of  satisfying  myself  of  the  truth  of  what  he  states. 

Taking  into  calculation  the  geographical  configuration  of 
this  part  of  Africa,  and  relying  not  so  much  upon  the  represen- 
tations of  previous  European  travellers  as  upon  the  information 
obtained  along  the  wide  tract  that  extends  from  Lake  Tsad 
to  Kordofan  and  south  of  that  line,  it  may  be  asserted  that 
the  Welle  belongs  to  the  system  of  the  Shary.  That  the 
Welle  has  any  connection  with  the  Gazelle,  and  so  ultimately 
with  the  Nile,  is  contradicted  not  merely  by  the  general 
belief,  but  by  the  authenticated  statements  of  the  inhabitants 
who  dwell  upon  its  borders ;  and  more  than  this,  it  is  totally 
inconsistent  with  the  fact  that  the  Welle  is  a  stream  vastly 
greater  than  the  Gazelle  in  the  volume  of  its  waters ;  for 
while  both  alike  were  at  their  lowest  ebb  on  the  27th  of 
April,  1863,  Petherick  has  placed  it  upon  record  that  the 
Gazelle  had  but  3042  cubic  feet  of  water  to  roll  on,  in  com- 
parison to  10,000  feet,  which  was  the  volume,  every  second, 
'  of  the  Welle. 

Perhaps  I  may  seem  to  lay  greater  stress  upon  the  in- 
formation which  I  gained  by  ray  inquiries,  tlian  a  rigorous 


THE  WELLE. 


553 


critic,  who  knows  what  an  ambiguous  country  I  was  travers- 
ing, may  be  inclined  to  think  is  fair.  But  let  me  invite  his 
attention  to  the  following  statement.  Although  the  entire 
eastern  portion  of  the  Niam-niam  country  from  Mofio  to 
Kanna  has  been  repeatedly  visited  by  companies  from  Khar- 
toom,  and  I  have  been  repeatedly  brought  into  contact  with 
those  who  have  taken  part  in  the  expeditions,  I  have  never 
come  across  but  one  single  individual  who  has  represented 
that  there  is  connection  anywhere  between  the  Welle  and  the 
Gazelle ;  and  in  addition  to  this,  the  Monbuttoo  and  the 
Niam-niam,  with  an  agreement  that  is  undeviating,  all  repre- 
sent that  the  Welle  holds  on  its  course  to  the  N.E.  as  far  as 
they  could  follow  it  for  days  and  days  together,  till  it  widens 
so  vastly  that  the  trees -on  its  banks  are  not  visible,  and 
that  at  last  there  is  nothing  but  water  and  sky.  This  repre- 
sentation would  imply  that  the  river  issues  in  some  inland 
lake.  They  have,  moreover,  their  tales  to  tell  of  the  in- 
habitants of  the  country  on  the  lower  part  of  the  river,  as  to 
how  they  dress  in  white,  and  like  the  Nubians  kneel  upon  the 
ground  and  say  their  prayers.  Clearly,  therefore,  these  resi- 
dents are  Mohammedans,  and  the  direction  and  the  distance 
of  their  abode  would  seem  to  corroborate  an  impression 
that  they  must  be  the  inhabitants  of  some  southern  parts  of 
Baghirmy. 

As  I  have  spoken  of  the  Welle  in  comparison  with  the 
Gazelle,  I  may  now  be  permitted  to  bring  it  into  contrast 
with  the  Shary,  so  far  at  least  as  the  lower  course  of  this 
river  has  been  explored.  According  to  the  testimony  of 
Major  Denham,  who  made  his  observations  on  the  2-ith  of 
June,  1824,  the  width  of  the  Shary  at  its  mouth  was  about 
half  a  mile,  while  its  stream  had  a  velocity  of  something 
under  three  miles  an  hour.  This  would  indicate  a  stream 
three  times  as  strong  as  that  of  the  Welle,  and  if  the  average 
depth  of  the  waters  as  they  flow  into  Lake  Tsad  be  reckoned 
at  ten  feet  it  would  give  a  volume  of  85,000  cubic  feet  a 


554 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


second,  whereas  at  the  very  highest  reckoning  the  volume  of 
the  Welle  is  not  above  20,000  cubic  feet. 

On  the  other  hand  the  eastern  main  branch  of  the  Shary  at 
Mele,  where  it  was  measured  by  Barth  on  the  18th  of  March, 
1852,  had  a  breadth  of  1800  feet,  and  in  mid-channel  it  had  a 
depth  of  fifteen  feet,  while  it  was  specially  recorded  as  rolling 
on  with  a  velocity  of  some  three  miles  an  hour,  which,  how- 
ever, in  a  way  that  we  should  not  have  expected,  Barth  says  did 
not  make  him  reckon  the  stream  as  particularly  strong. 

That  the  Shary,  so  early  as  the  month  of  March,  should  show 
an  increase  in  the  mass  of  its  waters,  would  appear  to  indicate 
that  according  to  theory  it  must  be  augmented  by  some  other 
rivers  coming  from  more  southern  latitudes  than  the  Welle.  It 
is  a  positive  fact  that  there  are  no  other  streams  of  the  least 
account  that  could  possibly  flow  into  it  from  the  arid  steppes 
of  Darfoor  and  Wadai  on  the  north ;  the  land  there  has  no 
springs,  and  consumes  for  itself  whatever  it  receives  from  the 
clouds  above.  If  then  the  Welle  flows  neither  into  the  Gazelle 
nor  yet  into  the  Shary,  it  might  perhaps  be  asked  whether 
it  is  not  a  tributary  to  the  ample  waters  of  the  Benue,  which 
Barth  found  at  Yola,  on  the  18th  of  July,  1851,  to  be  1200 
feet  in  width,  having  an  average  depth  of  11  feet,  and  a 
periodic  change  of  50  feet  between  the  highest  and  lowest 
level  of  its  stream ;  but  then  there  would  still  remain  the 
further  question  as  to  what,  in  that  case,  must  be  the  source 
of  the  Shary,  and  whence  it  comes ;  and  this  is  a  question 
that  decides  for  itself  the  full  value  of  the  counter-evidence.  • 

It  is  a  matter  of  especial  interest  to  recollect  that  Barth 
would  appear  already  to  have  announced  the  existence  of  the 
Welle  under  the  name  of  the  riVer  of  Kubanda.  The  people 
that  he  had  about  him  were  natives  of  Darfoor,  who  had  been 
accustomed  to  carry  on  their  expeditions  for  plunder  ever 
since  the  year  1834.  In  fact  he  assigns  the  position  of  the 
river  of  Kubanda  to  the  latitude  of  3°  N.,  and  affixes  a  note 
to  his  account  of  it  stating  that  "a  tree,  called  the  Kumba,  is 


MONBUTTOO  CANOES. 


555 


said  to  grow  upon  its  banks."  Now,  Kuniba  is  the  Niam- 
niam  for  the  abundant  Malaghetta  pepper  {Xylo^ia  asthiojoica), 
which  has  communicated  its  name  to  the  Pepper  Coast,  and 
in  the  middle  ages  was  a  spice  much  valued  and  known 
as  Habb-el-Selim  (Selim's  grains),  and  had  probably  been 
brought  into  the  market  by  the  people  of  Morocco,  long 
before  black  pepper  was  known  at  all.  I  satisfied  myself 
that  at  present  this  pepper  is  known  to  the  Foorians  as  a 
product  of  the  distant  south. 

The  transport  of  the  caravan  across  the  great  river  was  by 
no  means  an  easy  matter ;  by  the  aid,  however,  of  the  ferry- 
men whom  Munza  had  provided,  it  was  accomplished  so 
vigorously  that  in  the  course  of  three  hours  our  last  man  had 
been  carried  over.  The  passage  was  effected  by  large  canoes 
which  were  hewn  out  of  a  single  trunk  of  a  tree,  and  which, 
alike  in  shape  and  solidity,  were  superior  to  what  we  had 
hitherto  seen.  Some  of  them  were  not  less  than  thirty  feet 
long  and  four  feet  broad,  and  sufficiently  spacious  to  convey 
both  horses  and  bullocks.  So  ample  are  their  dimensions 
that  there  is  no  risk  of  their  being  upset,  nor  did  they  lurch 
in  the  least  degree  as  we  got  into  them.  They  were  made 
with  both  ends  running  horizontally  out  into  a  beak,  and  the 
border  lines  were  ornamented  with  carved  figures.  As  the 
current  was  not  very  strong,  it  was  found  sufficient  to  have 
two  boatmen,  who  squatted  down  at  each  extremity  of  the 
canoe ;  their  paddles  were  about  five  feet  long,  and  tapered 
down  towards  the  end  in  the  shape  of  a  narrow  shovel,  and  to 
say  the  truth,  the  boatmen  used  them  very  much  in  shovel- 
fashion. 

I  had  seen  the  teak  canoes  on  the  Eed  Sea  which  are 
called  Hoory  "  in  Arabic,  and  are  of  a  build  imported  from 
India,  and  many  of  the  canoes  which  are  in  use  at  Suakim 
and  Djidda,  but  none  of  these  were  comparable,  either  with 
respect  to  size  or  elegance,  with  the  canoes  of  the  Monbuttoo. 
It  is  remarkable  that  on  the  lower  course  of  the  Shary  there 


65G 


THE  HEAKT  OF  AFRICA. 


are  no  ferry-boats  in  use  except  such  as  are  made  out  of  a 
number  of  planks  fitted  and  fastened  together  ;  the  conclusion 
from  this  would  appear  to  be  obvious :  either  that  there  are 
no  fine  trees  to  be  felled  in  that  country,  similar  to  those  on 
the  borders  of  the  Welle,  or  that  between  the  source  and 
mouth  of  the  Shary  there  are  impediments  to  navigation 
which  are  insuperable.  In  the  distance  of  about  1000  miles 
to  Lake  Tsad  from  the  point  of  our  passage,  the  stream  would 
have  fallen  more  than  1450  feet. 

Our  encampment  was  formed  about  half-a-league  to  the 
south  of  the  river ;  it  was  encircled  by  the  dwellings  of  the 
Monbuttoo,  who  had  spread  themselves  over  the  declivity  of 
a  steep  woody  ravine.  The  groves  in  this  locality  yielded 
me  every  day  fresh  trophies  in  my  raids  upon  the  vegetable 
domains  of  Nature,  whilst  at  nightfall  the  natives  came 
trooping  in  and  enlisted  my  curious  interest.  Ambassadors 
deputed  by  King  Munza  came  to  bring  me  his  official  recog- 
nition, and  were  charged  at  the  same  time  to  render  to  him 
what  information  they  could  about  the  doings  and  intentions 
of  the  wonderful  stranger.  As  the  messengers  sent  by  the 
king  were  sufficiently  versed  in  the  Zandey  dialect  to  hold 
conversation  in  it,  I  was  enabled  to  make  them  understand 
the  object  of  my  visit  to  their  country,  and  to  all  appearances 
they  were  thoroughly  satisfied  by  my  explanation. 

We  were  still  at  a  little  distance  from  the  point  which  we 
had  determined  must  be  the  limit  of  our  progress  for  this 
year  ;  we  had,  however,  but  one  day's  rest  to  make,  and  then 
we  should  proceed  to  make  our  entry  into  Munza's  quarters.  A 
fresh  world  of  novelty  seemed  to  be  awaiting  us  in  this  remote 
region,  the  very  kernel  of  the  continent,  equally  distant  from . 
the  Indian  Ocean  and  from  the  Atlantic.  Everything  was  new. 
The  bright  and  clear  complexion  of  the  natives,  their  singular 
garb,  their  artistic  furniture,  the  convenience  of  their  orderly 
houses,  and  finally,  the  savage  etiquette  of  the  pompous  court, 
all  struck  me  witli  fresh  surprise  and  ever  renewed  the  feeling 


CHARMS  OF  THE  MONBUTTOO  LAND.  557 


of  astonishment.  There  was,  moreover,  an  exuberance  of 
strange  and  unexpected  >  egetation  ;  whilst  plantations,  sugar- 
canes,  and  oil-palms  were  everywhere  to  be  seen  in  plentiful 
luxuriance.  Truly,  I  now  found  myself  in  the  heart  of 
Africa,  realising  to  the  letter  the  fascinating  dreams  of  my 
early  youth. 

Nothing'  could  be  more  charming  than  that  last  day's 
march  which  brought  us  to  the  limit  of  our  wanderings. 
The  twelve  miles  which  led  to  Munza's  palace  were  miles 
enriched  by  such  beauty  as  might  be  worthy  of  Paradise. 
They  left  an  impression  upon  my  memory  which  can  never 
fade.  The  plantain-groves  harmonised  so  perfectly  with  the 
clustering  oil-palms  that  nothing  could  surpass  the  per- 
fection of  the  scene ;  whilst  the  ferns  that  adorned  the 
countless  stems  in  the  background  of  the  landscape  en- 
hanced the  charms  of  the  tropical  groves.  A  fresh  and 
invigorating  atmosphere  contributed  to  the  enjoyment  of 
it  ail,  refreshing  water  and  grateful  shade  being  never  far 
away.  In  front  of  the  native  dwellings  towered  the  splendid 
figs,  of  which  the  spreading  crowns  defied  the  passage  of 
the  burning  sun.  Anon,  we  passed  amidst  jungles  of 
Eaphia,  alongside  brooks  crammed  full  of  reeds,  or  through 
galleries  where  the  Pandanus  thrived,  the  road  taking  us 
uphill  and  downhill  in  alternate  undulation.  No  less  than 
twelve  of  these  brooklets  did  we  pass  upon  our  way,  some 
lying  in  depressions  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  some  sunk  as 
much  as  two  hundred  feet  below  the  summits  of  their 
bounding  walls  of  verdant  vegetation,  and  there  were  two 
upheaved  and  rounded  hills  of  gneiss,  rising  to  an  altitude  of 
some  300  feet,  along  the  flanks  of  which  we  wound  our  path. 
On  either  hand  there  was  an  almost  unbroken  series  of  the 
idyllic  homes  of  the  people,  who  hurried  to  their  gates,  and 
offered  us  the  choicest  products  of  their  happy  clime. 

Beside  the  streamlet  which  was  last  but  one  of  all  we 
passed,  we  made  our  final  halt  in  the  shadow  of  a  large 


558 


THE  HEAET  OF  AFRICA. 


assembly-ground  that  we  might  take  our  repast  of  plantains 
and  baked  manioc.  The  crowds  of  bearers  made  their  camp 
around  the  stem  of  a  colossal  Cordia  abyssinica  which  stood 
upon  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  abode  of  the  local  chief, 
and  reminded  me  of  the  Abyssinian  villages,  where  this  tree 
is  specially  cultivated.  Von  Beuermann  has  mentioned  that 
he  observed  this  tree  in  Kanem  rendering  the  same  service 
as  the  lindens  of  the  German  villages,  and  forming  a  cool  and 
shady  resort  to  which  the  residents  might  betake  themselves 
for  recreation.  These  trees,  with  their  goodly  coronets  of 
spreading  foliage,  are  the  survivors  from  generations  that 
are  gone,  and  form  a  comely  ornament  in  well-nigh  all  the 
villages  of  the  Monbuttoo. 

And  then,  at  last,  conspicuous  amidst  the  massy  depths  of 
green,  we  espied  the  palace  of  the  king.  We  had  reached  a 
broad  valley,  circled  by  plantations,  and  shadowed  by  some 
gigantic  trees  which  had  survived  the  decay  of  the  ancient 
wilderness ;  through  the  lowest  part  meandered  a  transparent 
brook.  We  did  not  descend  into  the  hollow,  but  halting  on 
the  hither  side  we  chose  a  station  clear  of  trees,  and  proceeded 
without  delay  to  fix  our  camp.  We  enjoyed  a  view  in  front 
of  a  sloping  area,  void  of  grass,  enlivened  with  an  endless 
multiplicity  of  huts,  of  which  the  roofs  of  some  were  like 
ordinary  sheds,  and  those  of  others  of  a  conical  form.  And 
there,  surmounting  all,  with  extensive  courts  broad  and 
imposing,  unlike  anything  we  had  seen  since  we  left  the 
edifices  of  Cairo,  upreared  itself  the  spacious  pile  of  King 
Munza's  dwelling. 

The  order  for  the  halt  was  no  sooner  given  than  the  bearers 
set  about  their  wonted  work,  and  labouring  with  their  knives 
and  hatchets  soon  procured  from  the  jungles  by  the  brook  the 
supply  of  material  sufficient  for  our  architectural  needs. 
Kapidly  as  ever  our  encampment  was  reared :  hardly  an  hour 
elapsed  before  our  place  of  sojourn  was  in  order,  with  a 
gorgeous  landscape  opening  in  its  front,  and  this  time  in 


ARRIVAL  AT  KING  MUNZA'S  PALACE. 


550 


view  of  the  royal  abode  of  an  African  monarch.  My  own 
tent,  which  began  to  exhibit  only  too  plainly  the  tokens  of 
being  somewhat  weather-beaten  by  repeated  exposure,  was 
located  in  the  very  midst  of  the  lines  of  our  grass-huts :  not 
now  was  it  erected,  as  often  it  had  been,  upon  the  bare  rock 
of  a  desolate  wilderness,  but  in  the  centre  of  a  scene  of 
surpassing  beauty:  for  the  first  time  I  had  it  decorated 
with  my  flag,  which  waved  proudly,  above  it  in  honour  of 
our  arrival  at  the  court  of  so  distinguished  and  powerful  a 
prince. 

The  natives  lost  no  time  in  crowding  in  and  endeavouring 
to  obtain  an  interview.  But  it  suited  my  inclination  to  with- 
draw myself  for  a  time.  I  remained  in  the  retirement  of  my 
tent  simply  because  I  was  weary  of  these  interviews,  which 
always  necessitated  my  permitting  either  my  head  to  be 
handled,  in  order  to  convince  them  that  the  long  straight 
hair  was  really  my  own,  or  my  bosom  (like  Wallenstein*s 
when  he  fronted  his  murderers)  to  be  bared  that  they 
might  admire  its  whiteness.  I  was  thus  induced  to  remain 
under  shelter,  and  meanwhile  the  Monbuttoo  magnates  waited 
patiently  or  impatiently  without;  they  had  brought  their 
benches,  which  they  placed  close  to  my  quarters,  but  I  con- 
tinued obstinate  in  my  determination  to  be  undisturbed, 
resolved  to  reserve  all  my  strength  and  energy  for  the  fol- 
lowing day,  when  I  should  have  to  exhibit  the  marvel  of  my 
existence  before  King  Munza  himself. 


END  OF  VOL.  I. 


